(Bloomberg) -- The US is giving away free at-home Covid-19 tests again, allowing people to order them online starting this month amid an increase in hospitalizations.
Each household will be entitled to receive four rapid tests by mail, starting Sept. 25, according to the Covid.gov website.
The free at-home test program began in early 2022 when retailers ran out of tests amid a winter surge in cases. It wound down in May as the official public health emergency expired, though recently the number of people falling seriously ill with Covid has increased.
More than 20,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid the week of Sept. 9, according to federal data, a 7.7% increase compared to the prior week. And as the weather cools, cases are expected to rise further, testing the federal government's response in the first year since emergency measures ended.
President Joe Biden's administration is also awarding $600 million to 12 US companies making the tests, to ensure the country has enough manufacturing capacity. That will bolster the government's inventory by about 200 million tests, the Health and Human Services Department said in a statement Wednesday.
Since the pandemic started, the US has sent out more than 755 million free rapid tests to households, HHS said.
--With assistance from Madison Muller and Riley Griffin.
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