WASHINGTON — Changes are coming to the way Americans pay and can receive at-home COVID-19 tests.
Starting Saturday, private insurers will cover up to eight at-home COVID tests per person each month, whether they are bought online or in stores.
Dr. Tom Inglesby, Senior Advisor for COVID Response at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, tells WRTV the Biden administration is working to have more test sites and increase access to testing, including at-home tests.
"We are hopeful that people will be able to get easier access to testing in the weeks ahead," he said. "We have gone from having about 25 million over the counter tests available per month in August to having 300 million over the counter tests available in December. We know because of the public demand for these tests that that's not enough and we're going to continue to drive the market and increase the availability of those tests."
Roche, whose North American headquarters are based in Indianapolis, was given emergency use authorization last month for its COVID-19 rapid test.
Inglesby says they are "very excited" about that EUA and the company worked closely with National Institute of Health scientists on the product. He says Roche is not providing tests to the U.S. market yet but they hope to have them available soon.
The website where Americans can request some of the 500 million rapid tests ordered by the federal government will be released soon.
"The contracts for these tests are hopefully all being finished up this week ... people will begin to start being able to order these tests hopefully within the next two weeks or sooner and tests will then begin to arrive in January," Inglesby said.
President Biden's federal vaccine mandate for employers of 100 or more employees went into effect on Monday.
"I think the administration is convinced that widespread vaccination is one of the most important tools, if not the most important tool in bringing this pandemic under control, so we're using the leverage we have to encourage vaccination," Inglesby said.
United Airlines had a vaccination mandate last year. On Tuesday, CEO Scott Kirbyposted a letter on the company's websitesaying that over one United employee "on average *per week* was dying from COVID," before the company's vaccine mandate was imposed.
To schedule a COVID-19 test or vaccine in Indiana, go to ourshot.in.gov.
-
GermanFest will feature brats, beer and dashing dachshunds on a big screen
The Athenaeum’s GermanFest will return for its 16th year on October 5. New for 2024, the Dachshund Dash will have a big screen to watch all of the action.Jags hope to win over the banged-up Colts, who last won in Jacksonville in '14
The Jaguars have yet to win a game this season, but the Colts have not won in Jacksonville since 2014. The Colts have dropped nine consecutive road games against the Jags, including one in London.Sore hip limits Anthony Richardson at practice; Joe Flacco could start for Colts
Richardson's injured hip was too sore for him to do much at Wednesday's practice. So Flacco took snaps with the starting offense and could be in line to replace Richardson on Sunday in Jacksonville.Indiana man sentenced for neglect after rat attack on his infant son
An Indiana man convicted of child neglect for a rat attack that left his 6-month-old son with more than 50 rat bites has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.