Americans will be able to request free COVID-19 tests starting this month

WASHINGTON (AP) — Starting this month, Americans will be able to order free COVID-19 testing kits that will be mailed to their homes.

American households will be able to order up to four nasal swab tests on COVIDTests.gov when the federal program reopens. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency that oversees the program has not yet given an exact date when orders can begin.

An agency spokesman said the tests will detect current strains of the virus and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season, when families and friends gather to celebrate.

Last month, U.S. regulators approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine that is designed to combat recent strains of the virus and hopefully those next winter as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already recommended this fall’s vaccine for everyone 6 months and older.

While most Americans have some degree of immunity from previous infections or vaccines, or both, that protection fades. Last fall’s vaccines targeted a different part of the coronavirus family tree — a strain that is no longer circulating.