The Biden administration has announced it can no longer provide U.S. residents with free COVID-19 home tests, blaming congressional Republicans for blocking the passage of more COVID relief funds that would allow tests to be stockpiled. Public health advocates have warned this could add to a surge of COVID infections during the autumn and winter. Since January, the government has mailed some 600 million tests through a program that allowed households to request a total of 16 home tests. People now have until Friday to make their final order on the federal online portal.