At-home test for both COVID and flu receives FDA approval

BOSTON – You may soon be able to test for both the flu and COVID at the same time in the comfort of your own home. 

The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for the first ever over-the-counter at-home test for both the flu and COVID. 

With a simple nasal swab, the test can distinguish between the influenza A virus, the influenza B virus, and the virus that causes COVID-19 in about 30 minutes. 

This home-based test will be incredibly valuable in identifying people who might benefit from antiviral treatments and who should isolate themselves from others to prevent community spread of the flu or COVID. 

The company has yet to announce the cost and release date. The tests are already available in Australia and Europe.  

In:
• COVID-19
• Flu Season

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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