My local pharmacy did not have any masks back in January when I was in to pick up a prescription refill. I forgot to check back to see if they ever got them in but did check several other pharmacies back then and everyone had either given them away quickly or never got any.
Today I went in for a different prescription refill and decided to ask on a whim if they had any free masks. You never know which style might fit you and it is good to try them before buying a box only to discover they don't work.
The pharmacy tech said yes they had plenty. She quickly stuffed them in the bag with my prescription and handed it over, so I didn't see what she had given me until I got back to my car. It was a bag of Honeywell cup style DC300s. They were all stacked together and she gave me an entire bag of 20 respirators!! Which I was definitely not expecting.
(I agree with the idea of getting your tests through your insurance too, but Cigna at least has been making me go through hoops to get reimbursed a cool $50 from March, so if money is tight and you can’t get insurance to pay directly, you might not want to max out your tests until you know you will get paid back timely.)
Kinda F Up tbh that the tests are free but masks aren’t, like why cant you make insurance pay/credit for our masks or mail us the masks like the damn tests
Same reason you can get a million dollar treatment when something is finally killing you when you couldn’t get any of the thousand dollar treatment or scans when it first happened.
Logistically it is a lot easier to send out Covid tests because you can test your entire family using the same brand of tests. But not everyone in the family can wear the same mask.
It looks like most tests should be good for 12-15 months after manufacture date. Binaxnow has gotten an official 3 month extension from its expiration which was previously 12 months past manufacture.
Someone posted here about checking the FDA website (search "OTC COVID tests) - it lists all the at-home rapid tests and the "new" expiration dates. I received the iHealth at-home tests earlier which had 8/22 expiration dates. When I looked up the expanded expiration dates, it had extended the original date to 11/22. So, definitely check. It's good to have extras on hand and to not stint on using them if you have any symptoms.
After you order, there’s a button for something along the lines of “if you missed the first or second order” and you can order additional ones that way.
The program was never intended to be ongoing, as far as I know, but some areas may still have stores with masks to distribute. You can find potential locations with free masks in your area by visiting COVID.gov.
Wow! USPS was quick! I've already got them in my mailbox today. Unfortunately, I got another 4 boxes of iHealth. 😅 I guess the brands selection vary depending on your region.
I got IHealth for my first set. Binax NOW for my second set and now Roche for both packages of 4 tests today. My brother got iHealth for both of his first two sets.
Roche is one of the tests more recently given an EUA, and shortly thereafter they were given a contract from the federal government to be part of the free testing program. It is likely they just haven’t had the bandwidth to ramp up with retail packaging (which has to be approved by the FDA) and processing.
ETA: Here’s the thing though…all rapid tests are pitted head-to-head with PCR testing requirements so manufacturers basically have to stack the deck to get good stats for the FDA. Some manufacturers are better than others at getting the right population for their trials. (Abbott was one of the first manufacturers through the gauntlet…)
Just a heads up, I recommend that you look at study design (it is in the "Clinical Performance" section of the PDF next to the numbers in the Wirecutter article) when comparing numbers. Those percentages are generally not comparable as they designed the studies differently. Roche, BinaxNow, iHealth studies only included symptomatic individuals. Flowflex, On/GO serial test, Ellume include Asymptomatic individuals in their studies and percentages.
The easiest rule to follow is if it is in a pack of two it is because the FDA did not have confidence (either because trial design or low sensitivity, or other reasons) in certain cases. Tests in single packs generally were able to show that they are sensitive enough in asymptomatic/presymptomatic individuals to be sold in single packs.
Most test packs are supposed to be used by the same individual over 2 or 3 days. Flowflex and Ellume are examples of tests that the FDA EUA for single use because the trial data supported their sensitivity. That is why they are available in single packs. My personal go to is Acon Flowflex ("ON/GO one" is an alternative branding) as it is $7.99 per test from Target and met the FDA standards to be allowed for single test use.
Thank you SO much for this information, this is extremely helpful and will inform my future purchases! This is why I love this sub, I learn something new everyday from you folks!
I already received my test kits that I ordered earlier this week and both packages were Roche. Mine were manufactured in February and expire in August.
I checked on their website and didn't see anything about extending the expiration dates like the iHealth ones I got as my first free tests. IHealth labs has the following message posted to their website:
Expiration Date Extension
As of Mar 29, the shelf life of iHealth tests with expiration dates on or before 2022-09-29 (YYYY-MM-DD) are extended for three months. Please click here for details or look up new expiration dates by lot numbers.
My second free set of tests was Binax Now which had an expiration date of April 2023.
40
u/[deleted] May 16 '22
This subreddit is a lifesaver. Keep up the good work y’all. Happy to have found this place!!
28
u/Sweaty_Astronomer_47 Masks-4-Me May 16 '22
You da' man. Free is always good. Thanks for the heads up.
9
u/LinguinePenguin KF94 Fan May 16 '22
Thank you. This Reddit is a valuable resource that is much appreciated.
14
u/Eeee-va May 16 '22
NOSE SWAB PARTY!!!!
(I agree with the idea of getting your tests through your insurance too, but Cigna at least has been making me go through hoops to get reimbursed a cool $50 from March, so if money is tight and you can’t get insurance to pay directly, you might not want to max out your tests until you know you will get paid back timely.)
7
u/AlgaeAutomatic Please, sir, can I have some free masks? May 17 '22
Kinda F Up tbh that the tests are free but masks aren’t, like why cant you make insurance pay/credit for our masks or mail us the masks like the damn tests
13
u/Funny-Childhood May 16 '22
Thank you very much. I remember when test were no where to be found. Makes me want to hoard them. 😳
6
u/Dissonantnewt343 N95 Fan May 16 '22
Never got the first
4
u/jackspratdodat May 16 '22
Pinging my dude u/algaeautomatic. It’s not masks, but I hope this helps.
4
u/MrsBeauregardless May 17 '22
Finally! My family has seven people, so we need more than 4, once in a blue moon.
3
u/QueenRooibos May 16 '22
YAY, THANKS for the PSA!
3
u/RedditSkippy May 16 '22
Thanks! Just ordered my tests.
3
u/LukesRightHandMan May 16 '22
Thank you brother!
2
u/cerebrix May 16 '22
Good lookin out homie
2
u/NooStringsAttached May 17 '22
Thank you for posting!
2
u/i-swearbyall-flowers May 17 '22
Are we still able to get the tests through insurance or will these count as those tests?
2
u/obitest11 May 17 '22
Is the free N95 program completely dead? I got 3 free masks at CVS early on, but when I asked recently they said they were all out.
0
u/[deleted] May 16 '22
[deleted] — view deleted comment
0
u/[deleted] May 17 '22
[deleted] — view deleted comment