Fogbow

Government providing free at-home tests again. Just have to go to covid.gov and sign up. There are eight of them this time.

The 3rd round of free at-home tests was approved. But receiving them will be suspended 9/2 because of funding. https://covid.gov/tests

OrlyLicious @Orly_licious 23m
IMPORTANT: Ordering FREE #COVID at-home tests will be suspended Friday, September 2 because Congress hasn’t provided funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests. Order your free 3rd round of #COVID19 rapid antigen tests now: https://covid.gov/tests Please share the news.

I tried this earlier today, but I got a message that said I had already reached my quota. I have only ordered twice before, so should be eligible for this, but that was my message.

We had gotten two and had no problem getting the third... there's an 800 number to call on the website, they should be able to help. Or try another name in the household? Not sure but you're not the only one who hit a problem with the third kit. Just seems good to get since they won't be free anymore (which is unfortunate).

Thanks for the heads up - I got both my 2nd and 3rd sets ordered

Yeah, we have 8 tests and only two Earthlings after halving our population.

And nobody here is going to take a test until somebody shows a symptom.


Instead of that, ol' Wifehorn and I are going for a 2 mile walk at 8:30. I suppose it is statistically certain that I have already had some asymptomatic infection from the damned thing, but I am unaware of it.

What do I do? It says suspended come 9-2. Do I order and get on the list or wait until funding comes through? I don't want to end up on the "You already ordered" side.

I ordered third set yesterday to have on hand and/or give away if it looks like i won't be using them. I haven't had to use any yet.

Slim, I think they mean if you order before 9/2 you'll get the tests, they still have them in stock. It's after 9/2 that they stop the free tests. For us, they've arrived pretty quickly and if you provide an email address they let you know when they've shipped and all. Better to get them now to have or give away.

Thanks!!! I'll do it right now. (I live in fear of clerical error.)

I'll try the 800 number. We went through quite a few of them in the last few weeks. My husband only used two, one for the positive test and another for the negative test. Buy my son and I each went through three of them last week before we got a negative test.

orlylicious wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:45 am Slim, I think they mean if you order before 9/2 you'll get the tests, they still have them in stock. It's after 9/2 that they stop the free tests. For us, they've arrived pretty quickly and if you provide an email address they let you know when they've shipped and all. Better to get them now to have or give away.

Thanks, Orlylicious. I had misread the publicity and thought that the home tests were no longer available. I ordered sets two and three today.

I called the 800 number. They took a service request. They are very busy. I am not holding my breath.

Went back to check, we got the third tests with no problem but the message when trying again (would be the fourth, knew it wouldn't work) was:

This address has reached the current limit for test orders.
Our records show that the address you entered has already requested the maximum number of free at-home tests allowed. If you need more tests, please visit the COVID.gov "Other Testing Resources" section.

If you believe this message is in error, check your address again or start a Service Request
If you placed an order for more accessible tests and need to order more for additional blind or low vision people in your household, start a Service Request.

I'd go for the 800 number, but there is a web link to a USPS Service Request, it lists COVID tests as primary issues: https://emailus.usps.com/s/the-postal-store-inquiry?

I tried that, too. We'll see.

I ordered the 3rd set, didn't have any problems. Thanks for the heads up!

I bought three of the iHealth kits last year plus we got the two free ones. The expiration dates were June 2022 but I checked to see if they had actually expired and they are good for an additional six months according to the FDA. My daughter also got four Flowflex tests from her library job and they expire in Jan 2023 so my household is good for a while.

I just ordered my 2nd and 3rd sets.

I wear my mask into stores and keep mostly to myself, but I am attending family events this year and there are a lot of them.

I did my most recent test 8 days ago when my sister was flying in to town and I said I would pick her up and take her down to my brother's where she would spend the week altering my niece's wedding dress. I went to get gas in my car several hours before her flight was scheduled to arrive and found that my throat was oddly phlegmy. When I got home my sinuses started bothering me. WTF? Could a cold come on that quickly? Was it Covid? I've only rarely had an allergy attack from something outside, but I figured that was it, so I took a couple of aspirin and an antihistamine, then did a Covid test to make sure that wasn't it. Turns out it wasn't Covid and after my one dosage of the antihistamine, I was fine. Nothing more that day or the next, so not a cold.

But it is nice to have free Covid tests because I would hate to infect the people I love the most.

MN-Skeptic wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 12:24 am But it is nice to have free Covid tests because I would hate to infect the people I love the most.

Yes, ma'am.

Ol' Wifehorn and I, having moved our boys into their respective universities, will be going back to Bathysphere or wherever it is, to see my dad.

I don't deny the value of the tests, but I can't justify using one unless, like you, one of us has a symptom ... or something that might be a symptom, meaning that we have to check.

I'm glad you were negative.

But many people are saying that virtually everyone has had it by now. Is it possible that I really have escaped it for more than two and a half years?

Foggy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 7:04 am But many people are saying that virtually everyone has had it by now. Is it possible that I really have escaped it for more than two and a half years?

I have as well. It's a diminishing number who haven't had it. I'm rarely in a crowd (don't like them), and my greatest exposure has been in restaurants, but they've been well-ventilated restaurants. In-office work is two days a week, and there are maybe a dozen people most in a huge section. Luck and strict protocols early on. It'll catch up to me sooner or later. I'm hoping more boosters are available.

Foggy wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 7:04 am But many people are saying that virtually everyone has had it by now. Is it possible that I really have escaped it for more than two and a half years?

Im pretty confuzzledm too. My husband, my caretaker and I have yet to get it - at least that we know of. We've only had a couple of occasions when testing was necessary and those were all negative. I can easily imagine either one of the guys getting it and being asymptomatic, but I have enough co-morbidities that I've always felt if I get it, I'm in real trouble.

Now, starting about 2 or 3 months before Covid was even a thing, I've had persistent cold-like symptoms and a tendency to get pfleghm built up in my throat that's hard to clear out. Initially, it was really bad and I had several scares where it felt like I was going to suffocate before I could get it out, but my doctor started having me take Mucinex daily, and I haven't had one of those bad episodes again since then.

But I know it's not Covid because it started before Covid reached the US and because of the negative tests. The doc has no idea what's going on, either, but as long as I can control it with the Mucinex, she doesn't seem overly worried about it.

Kriselda Gray wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 9:55 am Now, starting about 2 or 3 months before Covid was even a thing, I've had persistent cold-like symptoms and a tendency to get pfleghm built up in my throat that's hard to clear out. Initially, it was really bad and I had several scares where it felt like I was going to suffocate before I could get it out, but my doctor started having me take Mucinex daily, and I haven't had one of those bad episodes again since then.

That sounds similar to the afternoon allergy attack I had. Since allergies can develop at any time, could that be it? Have you tried an antihistamine?

MN-Skeptic wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:09 am

Kriselda Gray wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 9:55 am Now, starting about 2 or 3 months before Covid was even a thing, I've had persistent cold-like symptoms and a tendency to get pfleghm built up in my throat that's hard to clear out. Initially, it was really bad and I had several scares where it felt like I was going to suffocate before I could get it out, but my doctor started having me take Mucinex daily, and I haven't had one of those bad episodes again since then.

That sounds similar to the afternoon allergy attack I had. Since allergies can develop at any time, could that be it? Have you tried an antihistamine?

Thanks for the suggestion. My doctor put me on an antihistamine for some really bad, persistent itching I have, but it didn't do nothing to either the itching or the cold-like symptoms.

Until two weeks ago, I counted myself in the lucky group of people without Covid. Until then, I think we only used two or three tests, all negative. But once you have Covid and have to test, you can go through them surprisingly fast if you don't get a negative test quickly. Over the summer, I had become increasingly convinced that everyone is going to get it sooner or later. I knew traveling was going to up my odds. We were gone for three weeks and didn't get it until the very end, but we got it. Stupid, but it was almost a relief to get it. I'm grateful for the vaccines and that it's not so dangerous, although I have problems that put me in the high-risk category. No one here was terribly sick, so I'm grateful for that, too.

But there are still 500 people a day dying of it.