White House offers free COVID tests

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- The Biden administration is about to announce free coronavirus tests for Americans, ahead of what is expected to be an active respiratory virus season. Americans can request up to four at-home tests per household on covidtests.gov. They should arrive in the mail within a week.

“Knowing and understanding whether it’s covid is a really important part of how we think about tackling what to do next,” said Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm of the Department of Health and Human Services.  

Already, the CDC reports high coronavirus activity nationwide, based on wastewater testing. Palm is encouraging Americans to prepare for the flu, covid and RSV, headed into the fall.

“This is the season for the whole variety of respiratory viruses,” Palm said.

Wastewater testing shows RSV and flu activity is low across the country. Palm said October is a good time to get vaccinated.

The FAA approved three new booster vaccines for COVID-19, from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax. They target the newest strains of the coronavirus. Health leaders said you can get the flu and covid vaccines at the same time.

The CDC recommends a one-time RSV vaccine for people 65 and older.