6 things to know about COVID-19 testing in the US

Recent stories on COVID-19 testing in the U.S. include Meijer stores offering free at-home tests at its pharmacies, states stockpiling surplus supplies and more.

Here are six stories on nationwide testing developments reported by Becker's since Jan. 12: 

  1. Meijer has become the first retailer to offer free, at-home polymerase chain reaction tests — the gold standard of COVID-19 testing — to customers at its 254 Midwest locations with pharmacies, the company said Jan. 31. 

  2. The state of Michigan will distribute 250,000 free COVID-19 tests to 50,000 households through a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state health officials said Jan. 31.

  3. A state COVID-19 rapid test exchange program has ceased operation, and more states are stockpiling surplus supplies instead of donating to others with shortages, Kaiser Health News reported Jan. 31.

  4. The White House said Jan. 28 that 60 million households across the country have ordered COVID-19 testing kits through a new government website, CNBC reported Jan. 28. 

  5. The Biden administration's plan to distribute 1 billion rapid COVID-19 tests is putting pressure on manufacturers and distributors to bolster tight nationwide supplies, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 16.

  6. The FDA extended the shelf life of nearly 1 million rapid COVID-19 test kits that first expired in a Florida warehouse in September, the Miami Herald reported Jan. 11. 
 

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