Free COVID-19 tests through USPS will be suspended March 8

Last November, residential households in the United States were eligible for an order of four free at-home COVID-19 tests from the United States Postal Service. 

But that’s about to change.

On Friday, March 8, orders for free COVID-19 tests through USPS will be suspended.

Each order includes four individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests, which ship to your home for free. If you did not order tests last fall, you may additionally place another order for a total of 8 tests.

In this photo, free COVID-19 antigen rapid tests from the federal government sit on a U.S. Postal Service envelope after being delivered. (Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

You can order your tests before the deadline here.

The government started mailing out free coronavirus tests in September as the flu season kicked off and a spike in RSV cases had been reported in some spots around the country. 

Since January, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been trending downward, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The Food and Drug Administration also approved updated COVID-19 vaccines in September in the hopes of revving up protection for Americans in the winter. The shots target an omicron descendant named XBB.1.5, replacing older vaccines that targeted the original coronavirus strain and a much earlier omicron version. 

Shots are currently recommended for everyone ages 6 months or older, but uptake has been slow.