U.S. authorities reveal plan to reintroduce complimentary Covid-19 diagnostic tests and therapies, aiming to assist in managing the nation during the autumn and winter seasons.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested on Friday that everyone should stay alert during the upcoming winter, utilizing our resources such as vaccines, tests, and treatments against common illnesses leading to winter deaths and hospitalizations.
Complimentary Covid tests won't immediately be accessible but will return just in time for autumn and winter social events. Antiviral drug Paxlovid, procured by the government, will be offered at no cost to those without insurance and those on Medicare or Medicaid.
Additional funding is being allocated to state and local health departments by the CDC to provide complimentary Covid vaccines for uninsured and underinsured adults. Free vaccines will continue to be provided to children from low-income households through the government's Vaccines for Children program.
Cohen reminded us that all age groups are susceptible, including our young children. Over the summer, the highest instances of emergency department visits due to Covid were found among children under 5 years old.
The CDC's forecasters predict a comparable or lower number of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases during winter in the U.S. However, Campbell noted that these forecasts might alter if vaccination rates are lower than expected or a severe Covid-19 or flu variant surfaces.
Vaccines for Covid, flu, and RSV
Updated Covid-19 vaccines, protecting against current variants, were authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, encountering a peak in summer wave infections.
These vaccines will be found in pharmacies shortly along with upgraded flu vaccines. It's permissible to receive both vaccinations simultaneously, Cohen said.
Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, expressed the necessity of vaccinations in preventing severe Covid outcomes, including long Covid.
“The only method to develop long Covid is through having Covid,” Marks explained. “Vaccinations can assist in preventing Covid.”
Although the federal government's Bridge Access Program has ended, Cohen mentioned the CDC will distribute $62 million to state and local health departments to provide free Covid-19 vaccines to adults who cannot afford them.
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Cohen encouraged individuals to engage with their local public health departments, their state health departments, and their federally qualified health centers for vaccine access. Adults with private and public insurance like Medicare and Medicaid continue to have access to Covid vaccines with no co-pay.
Vaccinations against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), hospitalizing and killing infants and seniors annually, will also be available.
RSV immunizations are recommended for infants under 8 months old going through their initial RSV season, for adults aged 75 or older, and for adults aged 60 or older with underlying health conditions or residing in nursing homes. Certain children at increased risk for severe disease aged under 20 months may also require an additional dose.
Unlike flu and Covid vaccines, RSV vaccines are not anticipated to be required annually. Protection from RSV vaccines is expected to last for several seasons, as confirmed by the CDC. If you received an RSV vaccine last year, the CDC recommends doing so this fall.
Obtaining free Covid-19 tests
The government's Covidtests.gov website will be reactivated in late September, enabling each household to order up to four free at-home tests, delivered via mail.
This will mark the seventh distribution of free Covid tests, an extensively popular program that has dispatched over 900 million tests since 2021, stated Dawn O’Connell, the US Department of Health and Human Services’ assistant secretary for planning and response.
Additional free tests will be made available at community locations such as libraries, food banks, and long-term care facilities.
“Taking a quick test is an excellent method for all of us to safeguard our friends, family, and loved ones as we gather to celebrate the holidays,” O’Connell said.
Free Covid-19 treatment access
O’Connell revealed that the government's Paxcess program, managed by drug manufacturer Pfizer, will continue distributing free Paxlovid through the end of the year to individuals testing positive for Covid-19 and who are uninsured or on Medicare or Medicaid.
Pfizer will assume responsibility for the program starting in 2025 and will continue to distribute government-procured Paxlovid to uninsured or underinsured individuals.
Drug manufacturer Merck operates a patient assistance program to aid individuals in acquiring its Covid-19 antiviral medicine, Lagevrio.
The government's distribution of free Covid-19 vaccines extends to uninsured and underinsured adults, aimed at preventing severe illness and long Covid. Individuals are advised to get vaccinated against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which hospitalizes and kills infants and seniors annually, with recommendations for specific age groups and at-risk individuals.
