Free COVID tests return in time for Michigan’s respiratory disease season

• As COVID increases across the country, Americans once again can order free tests — up to four per household
• At-home tests for both flu and COVID are available too — but they’re not cheap
• It’s important to remember: COVID is easier to spread than flu, and you’re contagious longer with it

Free COVID tests are once again available by mail — timed to the start of the nation’s respiratory disease season.

The tests, which can be ordered at COVIDtests.gov, may curb the viral crud that each year circulates in Michigan as predictably as football games, apple cider and haunted houses.

Each household can request up to four free COVID tests under a program that already has distributed 900 million free over-the-counter COVID tests since the winter of 2021, according to the U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. The program was discontinued in March, but it resumed Thursday as COVID cases pick up across the nation and the wintertime respiratory virus season approaches.

Tests for people with disabilities affecting dexterity or who are blind or have low vision can be ordered at ACL.gov/AccessibleTests.

Is COVID circulating in Michigan?

Yes, but it’s tough to say to what extent.

Related:

• COVID is up again in Michigan. Good luck finding more info (or free tests)
• CDC drops most COVID-19 isolation guidelines. What it means in Michigan
• Bridge Michigan launches Elections Tracker, ends COVID Tracker

Michigan — at least for now — has seemed somewhat insulated in recent weeks from COVID’s spread elsewhere in the nation, according to wastewater surveillance. While neighboring Ohio and Wisconsin are recording “very high” viral activity, Michigan remained “low,” according to surveillance at its 53 wastewater testing sites.

That’s not to say COVID is gone from Michigan. Far from it. But detailed case surveillance ended long ago. State case counts are imprecise, too, because most people test at home and likely don’t report the results.

While COVID has lost its deadly edge for most people, it’s still dangerous, especially to older Michiganders, those with certain chronic conditions or compromised immune systems. The possibility of the temporary infection turning into long COVID, which has debilitated countless Michiganders, remains a concern as well.

Flu activity remains “low” as well, according to the latest state report.

Flu vs COVID - Why test?

Identifying the viral culprit early behind an infection can head off the infection’s worst symptoms, including potentially deadly pneumonia, said Dr. John Brooks, an infectious disease specialist and chair of the Emerging Pathogens Response Team at Grand Blanc-based McLaren Health Care, which operates 13 Michigan hospitals.

If it’s flu, a doctor might suggest Tamiflu to blunt the infection’s severity, Brooks noted.

If it’s COVID, doctors might prescribe a variety of treatments, but they work only when started within five to seven days after symptoms start. (An online tool here can help you find treatments if you don’t have a regular doctor.)

And testing can save you a trip to the doctor’s office. An established, trusted doctor-patient relationship allows the doctor to manage a patient’s symptoms without an office visit, said Matthew Budd, deputy health officer at the Jackson County Health Department.

Some doctors may appreciate at-home testing for COVID and flu.

“The first thing they want people to do is to stay home so they don't get other people sick,” he said.

Knowing which of the “Big Three” viral culprits — COVID, flu or respiratory syncytial virus — can help curb its spread, too, Budd said.

Generally speaking, COVID is more contagious than flu, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Older children and adults with flu are most contagious during the first three days of their illness, while people infected with COVID, on average, can begin spreading the virus two to three days before their symptoms begin and are considered contagious for about eight days after symptoms began.

And while flu is spread generally by people who are sick, COVID is transmitted by those who are asymptomatic, too.

When do I test?

The hard-and-fast rules of testing and isolation in place early in the pandemic are long gone, and testing decisions are ever more complicated as other respiratory viruses return and allergy season flares.

As free tests become more available, Dr. Matthew Sims recommends testing to protect vulnerable loved ones and coworkers.

Remote workers with mild cases and who don’t have a lot of contact with people may not find it necessary to test, especially if tests are limited, he said.

The CDC has issued recommendations to mitigate the spread of COVID,  flu, RSV, and other respiratory illnesses. 

Among them: Take steps for cleaner air, practice good hand hygiene, wear masks, pay attention to physical distancing, and/or test when you will be around other people indoors. 

What other kinds of tests are available?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized combination flu-and-COVID home tests. They are available without a prescription and use a nasal swab that tests for influenza A, influenza B and COVID-19.  They’re not inexpensive, though. A single test by Lucira, the first such test that the FDA authorized, sells on Amazon for $39.99. Four tests by iHealth were selling this week at $49.99. Two tests by WeLLlife were selling at $29.99.

All of this means free tests that arrive in mailboxes may be the most affordable way to get tested for COVID these days since government-funded community test sites of 2020 and 2021 are fewer and farther between. 

But there are some other free options: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has converted 22 former test sites to Neighborhood Wellness Centers, which provide other basic health screenings in addition to COVID tests. (Find the list here.) The state health department continues to provide free at-home tests through a partnership with local libraries, too.

Local health departments can offer guidance, too. (Find yours here.)

What about my expired tests?

Michiganders with old kits should check expiration dates. Some tests degrade over time, but some expiration dates have been extended. Check this web page here.

What’s new in vaccines?

In August, the FDA authorized three updated vaccines — mRNA vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech and a vaccine using segments of the virus by Novavax — to fight the ever-evolving COVID virus.

This is the second season for which RSV vaccines are available for older adults and infants.

And in addition to the updated flu shots this year, the FDA also approved the first-ever at-home flu vaccine, FluMist by AstraZeneca, allowing Michiganders to vaccinate themselves. However, the nasal spray, which clinicians have been able to administer for decades, likely won’t be available until next year for at-home use.

Most flu and COVID vaccines are free or low cost with insurance. Michiganders without insurance may contact their local health department to ask about vaccine availability. A list of flu vaccination clinics can be found on the federal Vaccine Finder website.