COVID testing

School districts across the country will be able to order free COVID-19 tests from the federal government starting in early December.

Free COVID tests headed to nation's schools

5:05pm November 29, 2023

by Will Stone

Starting in early December, about 19,000 school districts will have the chance to order free rapid COVID tests from the federal stockpile for their students, staff and others in the community.

The California company iHealth is one of 12 U.S. manufacturers getting an investment from the federal government to provide free tests by mail to people ahead of the winter COVID season.

Health & Safety

Free COVID tests by mail are back, starting Monday

11:34am September 21, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

People will be able to go to COVIDTests.gov and get four free tests per household, starting next week. The Biden administration says it is trying to prepare for the fall and winter COVID season.

It's COVID testing time at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, South Korea. Arrivals from China must now submit to a PCR test.

Coronavirus FAQ: How do I avoid catching COVID while flying in 2023?

6:33pm January 09, 2023

by Fran Kritz

You'll see testing in some airports these days — it's just like we're going back in time! And speaking of looking back, the things that protected fliers from COVID then are still a good idea.

The science isn't entirely settled on whether a rapid antigen test indicates whether a person is still contagious.

Health & Safety

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

5:02am June 30, 2022

by Will Stone

Nobody wants to infect their friends and friendly, but do you really have to keep isolating at day 12, 13 or beyond? Unfortunately — and perhaps unsurprisingly — the science is not entirely settled.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQ: Testing confuses me! When to do it? Is 'negative' always reliable?

5:49pm April 15, 2022

by Melody Schreiber

With COVID case counts falling and rising, testing is critical. But how many days after exposure should I test? And if I have symptoms but test negative, might the test not be accurate?

As demand for testing ramps up, community clinics and nonprofits struggle to keep up with the need. These groups have run testing sites throughout the pandemic in low-income and minority neighborhoods, like this one in the Mission District of San Francisc

Essential workers face a tough choice: Find a test or miss work

7:00am January 16, 2022

by Raquel Maria Dillon

Facing lost wages if they can't work, essential workers struggle to get timely COVID tests amid a nationwide testing crunch. Community clinics are struggling to meet the need.

People wait in long lines in Times Square to get tested for COVID-19 on Monday. New York City, which was initially overwhelmed by the pandemic, has once again seen case numbers surge as the new omicron variant becomes dominant.

People face long lines as they rush to get tested for COVID ahead of the holidays

5:00am December 24, 2021

by Vanessa Romo

Americans are scrambling to find out if they're COVID-free so they can go through with their plans. But for many, that means queuing up for hours or tracking down scarce at-home testing kits.

A pupil wearing a face mask reads instructions for a coronavirus rapid test kit at the start of a lesson at an elementary school in Berlin on August 9, 2021.

The White House will spend an additional $1 billion on rapid at-home COVID tests

8:24pm October 06, 2021

The investment is a response to an ongoing national shortage and follows a $2 billion investment in September to supply rapid tests to community health centers, food banks and schools.

People wait in line at a Miami-Dade County COVID-19 testing site, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Hialeah, Fla. Florida accounted for a fifth of the nation's new infections last week, more than any other state, according to the CDC.

Florida Reports A New Record With More Than 21,000 COVID-19 Cases On Saturday

11:20am August 01, 2021

by Jonathan Franklin

Florida is quickly becoming the country's epicenter for COVID-19 as the state saw a 50% increase over the last week in new cases.

Keep track of the ever-changing guidelines and restrictions for your destination. Protocols may change as new variants spread and take hold in different countries.

Coronavirus FAQ: Can You Guide Me Through The (Ever-Changing) World Of Global Travel?

5:38pm June 11, 2021

Interest in international air travel is rising. If you're want to fly out of or into the United States, there's a lot you need to know. Here's a guide.