Additional free COVID tests through USPS can be ordered now

A new, updated version of the COVID vaccine is now available at pharmacies, health care providers and clinics across the state, ahead of the predicted winter surge. Read more about how to find your 2024 COVID vaccine.

All of this means that it might be a good idea to conduct additional COVID-19 antigen tests in your household over the next few months to quickly detect infection and know when to isolate from others. But if you’re finding it increasingly difficult to find an affordable antigen test in the fifth year of COVID-19, you’re not alone. Use the links below to find a free or low-cost COVID-19 test near you, or read on to learn more about these latest USPS testing kits.

Order free at-home COVID tests from the U.S. government through USPS

Starting September 26th, you can once again order four free at-home COVID-19 antigen tests at covidtests.gov. No payment or credit card details are required to place an order. You also don’t have to provide any ID or health insurance information.

(This program is different from the program that allows those with private health insurance to be reimbursed for home testing for COVID-19. Learn more about home testing reimbursement from your health insurance provider.)

You can place your order for these four free COVID-19 tests online at USPS.com (the direct link from covidtests.gov) or by calling USPS at 800-232-0233.

On covidtests.gov and after ordering, you will also see a message that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the expiration dates of these tests. So don’t worry if a package of tests you receive says “expired” – you can still use it, but to be safe, check the FDA’s full list of expiration date extensions first.

Every residential address (and PO box) in the United States is eligible to receive an order of four at-home COVID-19 tests – not every person or every family. This means that multiple orders to the same address under different names will not be processed.

For example, if you live with multiple roommates or in a large multi-generational household, only one person can place an order for that address. Realistically, this could mean that the tests you receive are not enough to cover everyone in your household.

Find a COVID test from your doctor

If you have insurance with major Bay Area providers like Kaiser Permanente or Sutter Health, the easiest way to secure a COVID-19 test is to schedule an appointment with that specific provider. Most providers offer online registration via the member login; appointments can also be made by telephone.

Please note that after the end of the emergency regulations last year, privately insured people may incur new deductible costs for PCR tests, depending on the provider.

Medicare will continue to cover the cost of PCR testing. And under the American Rescue Plan, Medicaid recipients can continue to receive free at-home testing through September 30, 2024.

Most people, regardless of insurance coverage, will have to pay for over-the-counter rapid COVID-19 tests at home after the federal emergency order expires. Thanks to a state bill passed in October 2021, Californians can continue to request reimbursement from their health insurance for rapid antigen tests, even though these tests have been required to be performed “in-network” since last year.

Find a COVID test on California’s statewide testing map

The California COVID-19 Testing and Treatment Locations Map will continue to show you a list of testing locations. You can also find locations that offer testing for flu and RSV.

Because so many vaccination sites have closed in 2023 with the end of federal COVID-19 emergency orders, you should call ahead to visit before traveling in case a site closure is not reflected on this map.

Find a COVID test using the CDC’s free test locator

The CDC continues to maintain a nationwide map of COVID-19 testing locations at testlocator.cdc.gov, and all testing sites listed on the website are “available free of charge to individuals without health insurance” through Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT). Program.

In the Bay Area, you’ll find that when you search for a free COVID-19 test through testinglocator.cdc.gov, the returned locations are primarily pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, as well as Quest Patient Service Centers.

Find a COVID test in your Bay Area county

Most of the county testing sites you saw at the height of the pandemic are now closed – but several sites may still be operating in your county, often in collaboration with community groups.

Current testing site locations can be found at the bottom of each county’s testing webpage. However, some of these sites may direct you to state or national testing site locators instead.

The San Mateo COVID-19 testing page now states that “state-sponsored COVID-19 testing has ended in San Mateo County” and that PCR and antigen testing “remains widely available through health care providers and pharmacies.” Sonoma County’s COVID-19 testing site does not offer free or low-cost testing sites or resources to county residents without insurance. Instead, it says you should “request a test from your healthcare provider or use an over-the-counter antigen test.” at a local pharmacy.”

Find a COVID test from private providers

Always Before your visit, find out how much you might be charged for a COVID-19 test at these private testing facilities. Below are some of the private providers continuing to offer COVID-19 testing in the Bay Area: