A new at-home testing and treatment program for COVID-19 is on its way to selected communities.

The program, called the Home Test to Treat program, is being launched by the National Institutes of Health, in collaboration with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It will provide free COVID-19 health services, including at-home rapid tests, telehealth sessions and at-home treatments. The program was first introduced in September 2022 by the White House and aims to make antiviral treatment available for eligible individuals who receive a positive test result to help prevent severe illness, hospitalization or death.

The program launch comes as the United States is grappling with a “tripledemic,” with rising cases of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). There are currently more than 470,000 new weekly cases of COVID-19 in the United States, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… Continue reading.