You Can Order More Free COVID Tests Now

If you caught President Biden's State of the Union address this week, you heard him talk about moving forward from the pandemic in a responsible way.

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By Paola de Varona, News Editor In the State of the Union address this week, President Biden talked about moving forward from the pandemic in a responsible way. In the coming days, his new plan to transition "to a time when COVID-19 doesn't impact our daily lives," will start to come into focus.   But part of that plan includes another freebie for you and your household. Today's Top Story Order Your Free Test From the Government… Again Remember back in January when the Biden administration made free tests available through the postal service? Well, another round of orders will soon be available. You can order more free at-home COVID tests here starting next week.   A few things to remember: • The limit is four tests per household. • You'll have to enter your name and mailing address on the website. No credit card information is needed. • You'll be getting rapid antigen tests, so they may not be as sensitive as traditional PCR tests. Last time, the tests arrived pretty quickly. But in general, you can expect to receive your kits a week or two after ordering. Know More Many kits come with two tests (or more) inside. The instructions say that you are supposed to take both tests a few days apart, but some people have been saving the second one for a later date. That's OK if you're simply testing before an event. But if you've been exposed, it's important to use that second test because it's possible you didn't have a sufficient viral load the first time you tested. Feel Better If you don't have access to an at-home COVID-19 test, there are other ways to get tested—including with your healthcare provider, your local health department, or a community testing site in your state near you. READ MORE COVID-19 cases are declining nationwide. Recent CDC estimates show that about 43% of the country has contracted the virus. CDC Adjusts Vaccine Dose Schedule Last week, the CDC released new guidance suggesting that some people should space out the first and second doses of their Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for as long as eight weeks. The guidance is especially aimed at people over the age of 12 and males between the ages of 12 to 39 in an effort to reduce the rare risk of myocarditis (a type of heart muscle inflammation). Extending the time between both shots may also help increase immunity. READ MORE Paralyzed Patients Are Walking Again After Spinal Cord Stimulation There's renewed hope that paralyzed people may soon walk again. Researchers in Switzerland implanted a device on three men's severely injured spines, and the electrical signals helped them walk again. Within days, all three men could move their torso and legs while performing activities such as walking, swimming, and cycling. While past research has made great strides in restoring movement, it often took months. This experiment was able to do it in just one day. READ MORE   Not sure how long to wait between your first and second rapid COVID tests? Gigi Gronvall, PhD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, explained what to consider in an interview with Verywell. If you know you were exposed on a Saturday, testing three and five days after would be a good idea. Three days might be too early, in which case you have the second test to try on day five. Gigi Gronvall, PhD Senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health   Keep Reading   ■ Biden Uses State of the Union to Call for Focus on 'Burn Pits'. CBS News     ■ New Coronavirus Lineage Discovered in Ontario Deer. The New York Times     ■ Ukraine's Medical Needs Grow Dire. Axios More From Verywell When to Retest After Having COVID READ MORE Things Everyone in Their 60s Should Be Doing READ MORE Does Health Insurance Cover At-Home COVID Tests? 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 MEREDITH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005   © 2022 verywellhealth.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy