" To put it differently, I'd say: "I would like to remove that tick that's been biting me all day long." I would not say: "I have to be free from that tick." And that is why I'd personally use "rid of" with a cold, in lieu of "free" (it https://greenhomegrantsscheme.blogspot.com/2024/08/what-are-steps-to-apply-for-free.html