“This actually issues, as a result of if someone does have the flu, we are able to really intervene and prescribe Tamiflu or different antivirals that might profit sufferers,” mentioned Dr. Scott Roberts, an infectious illness specialist at Yale Medicine.
This fall, the Food and Drug Administration granted the primary advertising authorization for a combo flu and COVID-19 check to the Healgen Rapid Check COVID-19/Flu A&B Antigen Test.
There are additionally various combo COVID-19 and flu checks that have been granted emergency-use authorizations (EUA) by the FDA final winter, together with these from iHealth, OSOM, and Lucira, which value between $25 and $30 on-line.
Healgen’s advertising authorization signifies that the product has undergone a extra thorough security evaluation, however it’s not but broadly accessible to customers. The different FDA-authorized mixture checks are comparable, consultants mentioned.
The checks work for ages two and up, and people beneath the age of 14 ought to have an grownup administer the check for them.
The combo checks work greatest when individuals are symptomatic, mentioned Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, an affiliate professor at Boston University School of Medicine and infectious illnesses doctor at Boston Medical Center.
“You must have signs whenever you attain for this,” mentioned Assoumou. “Because for those who use it and also you don’t have signs, it might not be as correct.”
According to the FDA, the Healgen check appropriately recognized 99 % of adverse and 92 % of constructive samples of SARS-CoV-2 samples; it additionally recognized 99.9 % of adverse flu A and B samples and 92.5 % of constructive flu A and B samples.
Comparatively, the Lucira test appropriately recognized 99.9 % of adverse and 88.3 % of constructive COVID-19 samples; it additionally recognized 90 % of constructive and 99.3 % of adverse flu A samples. For flu B, which isn’t broadly circulating proper now, it recognized 99.9 % of adverse samples.
Experts suggest testing on the onset of signs and once more each 48 hours if the primary check is adverse and signs develop worse.
Roberts mentioned that his largest concern with at-home testing is whether or not folks administer the checks appropriately.
“Similarly to COVID-19, there’s this threat of a false adverse, the place possibly someone doesn’t swab far sufficient again of their nostril or the check is expired or the components are dried out, for no matter cause,” he mentioned.
False positives are much less of a priority.
“People who wish to know which one they’ve [COVID or flu], as a result of the signs overlap a lot, getting a constructive consequence on one and never the opposite can be helpful by way of looking for out remedy,” mentioned Dr. Paul Sax, medical director of Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The largest factor to recollect, Roberts mentioned, is to intently comply with the directions on the packaging since every check is barely completely different.
And like all time of yr, Assoumou mentioned to think about testing as one a part of a “layered method” to stopping respiratory diseases just like the Flu and COVID-19.
“Testing is essential, nevertheless it’s … a kind of layers,” she mentioned. Vaccination, testing, masking, and air flow of indoor areas the place folks collect “are all of the completely different measures which can be going to assist us get to the opposite aspect.”
Izzy Bryars could be reached at izzy.bryars@globe.com. Follow her @izzybryars.
