The federal government will again provide free at-home COVID-19 test kits starting at the end of the month.

Individuals can order up to four free tests online to be mailed directly to their household. The U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response delivered over 900 million at-home tests since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its website. The administration paused distribution in March 2024 following the end of winter and a decrease in positive cases.

However, COVID-19 cases spiked over the summer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with the percentage of positive tests reaching almost 18% in the beginning of August. 

“If you look at the COVID spikes, it’s starting to become a summer virus,” said Dr. Coburn Allen, an associate professor at Dell Medical School. “This is very atypical.”

Decreased immunity from previous vaccines or infections combined with increased travel and use of air-conditioned spaces creates the perfect environment for COVID-19 to spread during the summer, according to a John Hopkins University report. Allen said students are at risk of getting COVID-19 upon returning from summer break, as well as other respiratory viruses that pop up in the fall season like the flu.

“Travis County just lit up with both A and B flu, and we’re one of the only areas in all of Texas that has both flu strains going on right now,” Allen said.

The new COVID-19 nasal swab tests detect current variants, according to the administration. Allen said it’s important for people who are feeling sick, or who think it’s “just allergies,” to take advantage of these free test kits. He said this would not only help prevent the spread of COVID-19 on campus, but also decrease the risk of getting an even more severe infection.

“Some infections pick on you when you have a virus,” Allen said. “It makes it actually easier to get bacterial pneumonia after a viral illness.”

Allen advised the community to take basic steps that ensure good hygiene, such as washing hands, masking up, staying home when feeling unwell and avoiding confined spaces with people who are sick. Additionally, he said he recommends getting the latest vaccines for the flu and COVID-19, which provide protections against the newest variants. 

“For the good of all, we should try not to be part of the problem,” Allen said.