Did You Order Your Free At-home COVID Tests?

This week, our team was shocked by some big news: the government website for ordering free at-home COVID tests launched a day early.

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By Paola de Varona, News Editor This week, our team was shocked by some big news: the government website for ordering free at-home COVID tests launched a day early. We scrambled to let you all know, just in case orders were limited. (You can follow us on Instagram for daily news updates like these.) Luckily, our worries were unfounded. It's not too late to get your request in.   But, that doesn't mean the website hasn't rolled out without a few glitches. Today's Top Story How to Order Your Free COVID Test From USPS You can now order rapid, at-home COVID tests for your household from a government website launched in collaboration with USPS. Last month, Biden promised 500 million free tests would be mailed out. That number has doubled—making the target one billion tests in total.   Each household can order one set of four at-home tests here. Orders are set to ship in late January. The administration also hopes to launch a phone number soon for people who don't have access to computers or the Internet. Know More Ordering your set of tests seems simple enough, but there are a few issues. On the day of the site's launch, some apartment-dwellers had trouble ordering. Sometimes, if one person in the building ordered their tests, the remaining apartment units were locked out of the system. Additionally, the four tests per home policy will likely put thousands of larger households (who tend to be families of color) in a tricky situation.   Experts also say you should expect delays. Nationwide staffing shortages will probably affect when your tests will arrive at your door. Feel Better There's no need to sit by your mailbox waiting for the delivery. You can get tested at your local health department or community testing site. And if you have health insurance, you should now get reimbursed for at-home tests you manage to scoop up at your pharmacy. READ MORE In 2020, over a quarter of adults delayed receiving medical care or did not get care at all because of COVID. COVID Vaccines May Delay Your Period By a Day or Two For months, people have been sharing how getting vaccinated temporarily changed their periods. But, until now, the connection was hazy. A new study is backing these reports up by showing that people do experience period delays of one or two days after their COVID shots. Experts say menstrual cycles and the immune system are connected, which helps explain the change. But if your period is usually regular, it will likely bounce back to normal in no time, so there's no need to worry. READ MORE Here's How to Check If Your Face Mask Is Fake If you haven't already, you should consider upping your mask game. N95 and KN95 masks offer much better protection against COVID. But how do you know it's not a knockoff? For N95s—which need to be NIOSH-approved—a quick check for labeling can suffice. Since KN95s are made and certified in China, you won't find the NIOSH logo on them. However, looking through this FDA list is a good place to start. READ MORE   If you want to test whether your go-to face mask is actually protecting you, Aaron E. Glatt, MD, MACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, chair of the department of medicine and chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau, told Verywell in an interview that you can try a candle test. If you can blow out a candle, that means that's a relatively flimsy mask, it's going to be a single ply, and it basically has holes in it. If your breath can go through it, that means something else can come in as well. Aaron E. Glatt, MD, MACP, FIDSA, FSHEA Chair of the department of medicine and chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau   Keep Reading   ■ When My Mom Got COVID, I Went Searching for Pfizer's Pills. The New York Times     ■ Can Mailing Tests Turn Biden's Pandemic Response Around? Stat     ■ He Made a COVID-Zapping Video Game. Then He Fought It for Real. WIRED More From Verywell 7 Things You Need to Know About Plaque Psoriasis READ MORE Are At-home COVID Tests Accurate? READ MORE What Is the Period Flu? READ MORE   How'd we do? If you have any feedback, send us a note at   feedback@verywell.com.       You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Verywell Health newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.   A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005   © 2022 verywellhealth.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy