Finding it harder to get a COVID-19 test lately? You’re not alone.
California's pandemic state of emergency is set to end on Feb. 28, and President Biden recently announced that the federal emergency status for the nation will end May 11.
Jump to: How to find:
- COVID at-home testing from the U.S. government via USPS
- COVID tests through your health care provider
- COVID tests through your Bay Area county
- COVID tests from your school district
- COVID tests at private testing facilities near you
- COVID tests at a local pharmacy
These states of emergency have given government officials more flexibility to respond faster and bypass certain bureaucratic barriers to respond to the health crisis that’s now entering its third year. Ending those executive orders means a large portion of funding for free COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics will end — and costs for individuals will creep up.
"We are still in the middle of a pandemic, but we are transitioning from a full-blown response where we have a sense of urgency every day, to one where we are adapting to living with COVID," Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s health officer, said at a press briefing on Feb. 1.
What could the end of these COVID orders mean for you?
After May 11 the federal government will no longer require insurance companies to reimburse families for eight at-home COVID tests per month.
But, Californians have a little more wiggle room. Thanks to a state bill passed in October 2021, Californians with insurance will have until November 2023 to seek reimbursement from insurance providers for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests. Find out how to claim reimbursement from your insurer for rapid antigen tests.
Some jurisdictions are already winding down testing centers. San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, two of the first local jurisdictions in the country to declare COVID a public health emergency, both recently announced plans to close mass testing sites.