Funding for the program has been exhausted.

Back at the beginning of 2022, the United States government began offering free boxes of at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, delivered at no charge to the home of anyone who requested them. This was done in order to help people keep track of their own exposure to the illness and, in turn, further control its spread. Since then, several more rounds of free tests have been made available, but as the pandemic has reach some semblance of control, the program’s funding has not been renewed.

According to a senior Biden administration official that spoke to CNBC, the free test distribution will be concluding this Friday, September 2, as the program has completely exhausted its funding.

“If Congress provides funding, we will expeditiously resume distribution of free tests through covidtests.gov,” the official said. “Until then, we believe reserving the remaining tests for distribution later this year is the best course.”

The government is ending its free at-home Covid-19 test program this week, citing a lack of funding, a White House official tells CNN. https://t.co/Ri3u4b5ti2

— CNN (@CNN) August 29, 2022

Medical response teams are beginning to consolidate important resources like tests and vaccines in preparation for the winter season, when COVID infections are expected to see a resurgence alongside the seasonal flu. Currently, Pfizer and Moderna have updated booster shots in the work, specifically designed to target the Omicron variant and its offshoots, but as of writing these new shots have not received FDA approval.