White House to Restart Free COVID-19 Tests Program

White House is eyeing to restart its free COVID-19 tests program, which will then be shipped by the U.S Postal Office to the homes of Americans availing them.

White House sources noted that the U.S. Post Office will start accepting requests for COVID tests on Thursday, December 15, through the website CovidTests.gov.

The U.S. Postal Service is expected to deliver four free tests in its shipment.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced in January the launch of the free COVID-19 tests program, which allows those requesting COVID-19 tests to have the tests delivered straight to their home.

In March, the program added four more free tests per household, which turned eight per household in May.

Acquiring the free COVID-19 tests should not take long, with the form asking just for recipients' names and mailing addresses. The free tests are then shipped in about a week or two.

White House's Free COVID-19 Tests Program

The White House is preparing to announce that it is reopening access to its stockpile of tests for a limited time as part of a broader "winter preparedness plan."

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the program's status or the number of tests left in the stockpile. However, one person familiar with the matter noted that the Department of Health and Human Services used limited funding to buy more at-home tests. The fund used were leftovers from the American Rescue Plan.

The federal response has suffered from a lack of funding, with Congress refusing to allocate additional funding to help ramp up the stockpile of tests, treatments, and vaccines.

The federal government has spent over $9 billion in COVID funding as part of the year-end funding bill.

The Biden administration has been pushing Congress to approve more money to fight the pandemic for most of 2022. However, efforts have stalled.

Free COVID-19 Test Suspended

In September, the federal government halted the program due to a lack of funding. The website noted that ordering through the program will be suspended as Congress has not provided additional funding to replenish the nation's stockpile of tests.

A source noted then that reserving the remaining tests for distribution later this year would be the best course.

The same source added that the inaction in Congress would impact the overall COVID-19 preparedness plan and response, with the consequence likely to "worsen over time."

Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that COVID-19 will be a seasonal occurrence, just like the flu.

Public health experts said at the time that the suspension of the free service would impede people's access to COVID-19 tests, particularly those who are uninsured, live in remote areas, and those facing mobility issues.

The timing of the suspension at the time came with the start of the new school year and colder weather.

Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University, noted earlier that the availability to free COVID-19 tests is a "very critical part" of a pandemic response.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: What to know about getting free at-home COVID-19 tests - from Good Morning America