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Free COVID-19 tests are available for delivery from the federal government after President Joe Biden’s administration revived its testing website. United States residents are able to order up to four free tests per household.

Orders for the free tests can be placed at COVIDTests.gov and will ship free from the U.S. Postal Service starting the week of Oct. 2. The new tests are intended to last until the end of 2023 and will include instructions on how to verify extended expiration dates. Although some tests may show “expired” dates on the box, the Food and Drug Administration has extended many of those dates.

The increased test availability aims to improve COVID-19 preparedness for the upcoming fall and winter seasons when COVID-19 cases are expected to rise, according to a Wednesday press release from the Department of Health and Human Services. COVID-19 case levels have been rising nationally since July as new variants EG.5 and BA.2.86 spread.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 19,674 new COVID-19 patient hospitalizations for the week of Sept. 10-16, a 4.3% decrease from the week prior, according to CDC data. There’s also been a 203.6% increase from the beginning of July.

In Onondaga County, there were 8.4 reported cases per 100,000 residents on Sept. 22, compared to 1.1 cases per 100,000 residents on July 2, according to data from the New York State Department of Health.

The government’s shipment of free COVID-19 tests began in January 2022 and continued until it was suspended in May when COVID-19 was declared to no longer be a public health emergency.

On Sept. 13, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans for New York state to begin rolling out an updated vaccine for state residents authorized by the FDA amid the uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Syracuse University’s Barnes Center at The Arch will begin scheduling appointments for the updated COVID-19 vaccine once campus receives a supply, according to an SU news release from Sept. 12.

SU offers self-administered COVID-19 tests for students, faculty and staff for $1 in vending machines at the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus, the Barnes Center at The Arch, Dineen Hall, Life Sciences Complex, Schine Student Center and Graham Dining Hall. The Barnes Center Pharmacy also has two test kits for $1 available for purchase. PCR testing is also available by appointment at the Barnes Center.

As of May 15, SU no longer mandates COVID-19 vaccination for students, faculty and staff, a policy which had been in place since December 2021. The university also stopped updating its COVID-19 dashboard on May 20, 2022.

SU encourages students with COVID-19 symptoms to call (315) 443-8000 to make a testing appointment with the Barnes Center. The university’s COVID-19 policies are listed on the Stay Safe website.

Published on September 25, 2023 at 10:48 pm

Contact Samantha: [email protected]