Key TakeawaysThe FDA has given an emergency use authorization to an at-home joint flu and COVID-19 test collection kit.COVID-19 and flu symptoms can be similar, so distinguishing between the two can be important for treatment.The kit will be available this month.

Key Takeaways

The FDA has given an emergency use authorization to an at-home joint flu and COVID-19 test collection kit.COVID-19 and flu symptoms can be similar, so distinguishing between the two can be important for treatment.The kit will be available this month.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to a combination at-home flu and COVID-19 test collection kit.

“Our newest home collection kit makes it convenient for individuals, including children over the age of 2, to take the test in the safety of their homes,” Brian Caveney, chief medical officer and president of Labcorp Diagnostics, said in a press release. “In time for flu season, the single test helps doctors and individuals make more informed treatment decisions given that symptoms of COVID-19 and flu are similar.”

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COVID-19 Versus Flu Symptoms

Signs of the flu and COVID-19 can mimic each other, making it “difficult to differentiate the symptoms,”Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, tells Verywell.

COVID-19 symptoms can include:

Sinus Infection vs. COVID-19

Flu symptoms can often overlap with COVID-19 symptoms. They include:

How the Combination Test Kit Works

Older Adults Vulnerable to ‘Twindemic’ of Flu and COVID-19

Labcorp says the test kit will be available at no upfront cost to people who meet the clinical guidelines, which can include:

What This Means For YouYou’ll soon be able totest yourself for the flu and COVID-19 at the same time at home. Being able to know your status can help you make important decisions on things like quarantining—and allow you to get the right treatment.

What This Means For You

You’ll soon be able totest yourself for the flu and COVID-19 at the same time at home. Being able to know your status can help you make important decisions on things like quarantining—and allow you to get the right treatment.

Why Now?

Typically, people who suspect theyhave the fluwill either try to manage it at home without a diagnosis or see their care provider to get tested. Why is a dual exam needed now?

Being able to distinguish between the flu and COVID-19 can impact a lot of protocols, including quarantine times and treatment, Watkins says.

The flu can be treated with the antiviral medication oseltamivir, and there may soon be anantiviral medication for COVID-19. Knowing which illness a patient has can help provide access to the proper treatment without them leaving their home and potentially infecting others, he says.

How to Safely Get a Flu Shot During the COVID-19 Pandemic

There’s also the possibility of long-term care to consider. “Flu resolves completely and doesn’t lead to long-lasting symptoms the way COVID can,” Watkins adds.

But infectious disease expertAmesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Verywell that “what is really needed are home respiratory viral tests that actually give a person a result for flu, for COVID, and for other respiratory viruses at home.”

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The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu Symptoms.

2 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu Symptoms.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu Symptoms.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of COVID-19.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu Symptoms.

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