Combination flu andCOVID-19 tests are in the works for virus season
by Nicole Wetsman from The Verge - All Posts on (#64CAM)
Cue has a COVID-19 test and wants to add on a flu test. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge The past two years have seen relatively quiet flu seasons - a welcome development as hospitals and the public health system focused on managing waves of COVID-19. But experts are expecting flu to make a comeback this winter, and people will need to differentiate between the two illnesses with very similar symptoms.
At-home testing companies are asking the Food and Drug Administration to authorize combination tests that can scan for both COVID-19 and influenza in a single sample. Lucira Health asked the agency to sign off on its dual test in May, and Cue Health just submitted its request Tuesday. The FDA authorized a combination test made by Labcorp in May, but that test requires people to swab their nose and mail it to a lab.
Having a...