Government website to suspend orders for free COVID tests due to limited supply

WASHINGTON – Beginning next week, the Biden administration will suspend taking orders for free at-home COVID-19 tests because of limited supply, USA TODAY has learned.

The administration is expected to announce Friday that it needs to preserve tests for a potential rise in infections in the fall, according to a senior administration official.

As of Sept. 2, free tests will no longer be available through COVIDTests.gov. Tests, however, are still being distributed other ways, including at 15,000 federally-supported community sites such as some libraries and pharmacies, and through community health centers. People also can be reimbursed for tests through private and public health insurance plans.

The administration says it has to limit distribution because Congress has not approved the necessary funding to replenish the nation's stockpile of tests. 

The senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has not been publicly announced, said the administration will work "within its limited existing resources" to secure as many additional tests as possible. The official did not say how many tests are left.