Woman holding diagnostic test in bag

Up to 100,000 people could get at-home treatment for COVID-19 under a new test-to-treat pilot program rolled out last week by the National Institute of Health and the Biden administration.

The program will provide free COVID-19 services including at-home rapid tests, telehealth consultations and at-home treatments in selected communities. The program will kick off later this month in Berks County, PA, and could treat up to 8,000 eligible residents there.

“At-home testing for COVID-19 is now widely available in the United States, as are antiviral treatments, and this program combines easy home access to both,” Bruce Tromberg, PhD, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health and leader of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Tech program, said in a statement. “The Home Test-to-Treat program allows those who are sick an alternative to venturing out for testing or treatment, potentially reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the community.” 

Program organizers will gather information from participants to identify best practices and make improvements in the program so it can be implemented on a larger scale. Additional communities will be selected based on the level of community need, access to healthcare, expected COVID-19 infection rates and socio-economic factors. The NIH and Biden administration will be working with local health departments to help administer the program. 

The pilot will be available to individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and is aimed at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death. 

While the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is far lower than its peak in January of last year, cases have been spiking since early December, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker. Hospitalizations from the virus are also on the rise.

Seniors have been especially vulnerable to the virus. A study by United Health Foundations found early deaths of people 65 and older spiked 17% between 2019 and 2020. In recent weeks, adults over the age of 65 have accounted for the highest number of deaths from COVID-19. 

Free COVID-19 tests available

The announcement of the test-to-treat pilot came as LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, disclosed it is partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Housing & Urban Development to provide free COVID-19 test kits to eligible providers — not just those who are members of the association. The LeadingAge initiative builds off an earlier collaboration with HHS and HUD to provide free tests to residents of Section 202 Housing for the Elderly.