Americans can order free COVID-19 tests this month

WASHINGTON (AP) — Starting this month, Americans will You can order free COVID-19 test kits which are sent to your home by post.

U.S. households can order up to four nasal swab tests COVIDTests.gov when the federal program reopens. The US health agency, which oversees the program, has not yet given an exact date for when orders can begin.

An agency spokesman said the tests would detect current strains of the virus and could be ordered ahead of the holiday season, when families and friends gather for celebrations.

U.S. regulators agreed last month an updated COVID-19 vaccine designed to combat the latest strains of the virus and hopefully the coming winter strains as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already recommended vaccination this fall for everyone ages 6 months and older.

While most Americans have some level of immunity from previous infections or vaccinations or both, that protection is waning. The photos from last fall targeted a different part of the coronavirus family tree, a strain that is no longer circulating.