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In a last-minute decision, the Trump administration reversed its plan to shut down the government’s free COVID test program, keeping the initiative active just minutes before its official closure.
On Tuesday, the website COVIDtests.gov was scheduled to go offline, following an earlier report by The Washington Post stating that officials were preparing to end the program. The move would have potentially led to the destruction of over 160 million unused COVID tests, valued at more than half a billion dollars.
However, 12 minutes before the shutdown, Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), confirmed that the site would remain operational.
“With COVID-19 infections decreasing after a winter peak, we are in the process of regular discussions on closing this round of the COVID-19 test ordering program. At this point, the program is still open, and we will share additional updates as needed,” Nixon stated.
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) manages the test stockpile and had been weighing two costly options—either disposing of the remaining tests or continuing their distribution to U.S. households. Despite a decline in demand, thousands of tests were still being ordered daily.
Dawn O’Connell, a former ASPR chief under the Biden administration, expressed concerns over the financial burden of storing the tests.
“It’s expensive to stockpile these tests. Destruction costs a significant amount of money, but hanging on to them costs a significant amount of money,” O’Connell said.
Public health experts welcomed the administration’s decision to keep the program running, warning that free testing remains crucial, particularly during flu season and in the event of new COVID variants.
Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID response coordinator under Biden and now dean of Brown University School of Public Health, criticized the initial plan to end the program.
“The virus is not posing a major public health threat now, but trashing the tests feels like an act of self-destruction here. It’s going to be expensive, and it takes away a tool that the administration would want to use if a highly immune-evasive variant emerges,” Jha said.
Similarly, Dr. Tom Inglesby, former White House national coordinator for COVID testing, emphasized the need for widespread testing.
“Destroying an asset that was paid for by the American people doesn’t make any sense. These diagnostics help individuals and families make informed health decisions,” Inglesby stated.
Since its launch in January 2020, ASPR has distributed over 2 billion free tests, including 900 million sent directly to households through COVIDtests.gov in partnership with the U.S. Postal Service. The program has been repeatedly paused and restarted, including seven shutdowns since its inception. Most recently, it was paused in March 2024 before resuming in September.
As COVID cases continue to decline, the future of the free testing initiative remains uncertain. However, for now, Americans can still access free at-home COVID tests through the government’s program.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and reflects the latest available updates on the government’s COVID testing program. Policies may change, and readers are encouraged to check official sources for the most current information.
