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Starting Thursday, you can once again order free Covid tests from the government.
Every household in the United States will be able to order four tests from Covidtests.gov between now and the end of the year. People can also get tests by calling 1-800-232-0233.
Dawn O’Connell, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, said it was important to make sure Americans had access to free tests as they spend more time indoors and gather for the holidays.
“If past is prologue, we have always seen increasing cases as we head into fall and winter,” Ms. O’Connell said.
Here’s a refresher on how the tests work, and answers to common questions about them.
Do the tests work against the newest variants?
Yes, they do, Ms. O’Connell said. “We check every time.”
The tests still pick up on a protein in the virus, no matter the variant, said Nathaniel Hafer, an associate professor of molecular medicine at the UMass Chan Medical School.
The Food and Drug Administration estimates that at-home tests will detect the virus at least 80 percent of the time when someone is infected.
I was exposed to Covid. When do I test?
If you were exposed but feel fine, wait a few days to test — it can take time for the virus to build up in your body. The F.D.A. recommends people who stay symptom-free take at least three tests total. Each time, wait 48 hours before you take another one.
Take a test right away if you develop symptoms like sneezing, coughing, a sore throat, fatigue, head and body aches, nausea and vomiting. If that test is negative, take another two days later.
A negative test can mean one of two things: You don’t have Covid, or you are infected but don’t have high enough levels of the virus in your nose to register a positive result.
Many of us have accumulated immunity through vaccines and repeat infections, said Dr. Michael Mina, a former Harvard epidemiologist who is now the chief science officer for eMed, a health care technology company. That means our bodies have gotten used to recognizing the virus, and our immune systems can quickly trigger symptoms before we’ve built up enough virus to turn a test positive.
False positives are very rare. If a test says you have Covid, you can be confident you do, Dr. Mina said. But if you feel like you’re coming down with something, or someone close to you just let you know they have Covid, don’t treat one negative test like a permission slip.
I am spending time with someone who is at high risk and don’t want to infect them. When do I test?
Try to test right before you see them. “Don’t worry about testing two days earlier or two days later, because that information is not nearly as useful as two minutes earlier,” Dr. Mina said.
If you have symptoms, you may want to stay home, even if you’ve tested negative, to avoid passing along other infections.
I got a nosebleed mid-swab. Will my test still work?
Unless it’s a bad nosebleed, a little blood won’t affect the quality of the test, Dr. Hafer said.
And you should always blow your nose before testing, he added, to clear out any mucus or particles that might contaminate your test.
My test is expired. Can I use it?
The F.D.A. has extended the expiration dates for many at-home tests, so you may be able to still use it. You can check the lot number on your test kit against the F.D.A. list. If your test is actually expired, though, it may not be effective.
Where can I get more free tests?
Long-term care facilities, nursing homes, food banks, schools, libraries and local health departments may offer additional free Covid tests. Some private insurance plans also cover the costs of tests. You can check your insurance company’s website or ask a pharmacist to help determine whether your plan will reimburse you.
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