State residents can get free at-home Covid-19 tests

Washingtonians can once again order free at-home COVID-19 tests to be delivered straight to their homes.

Federal officials announced in September that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce the new tests and restarting a website allowing Americans to order up to four tests per household.

Orders can be placed at COVIDTests.gov, and the no-cost tests will be shipped delivered for free by the United States Postal Service starting Oct. 2, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The tests are designed to detect Covid-19 variants currently circulating, and are intended for use by the end of the year, the department said. Covid levels remain fairly low in Washington state, although the state’s infection and hospitalization rates have been slowly increasing since July, state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist told the Seattle Times.

As of late August, an average of about 3.4 Washingtonians were being hospitalized per 100,000 people, compared to fewer than 2 per 100,000 in late June and early July, according to the Times. The state’s infection rate was about 45.4 per 100,000 in late August — an increase from fewer than 17 per 100,000 in early July.