Is It Flu or COVID-19? At-Home Combination Tests Can Check for Both > News > Yale Medicine

It’s that time of year when a fever, sore throat, and stuffy nose could easily signal flu or COVID-19. While at-home tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, became an important way of detecting coronavirus infections during the pandemic, people may not realize there are also combination tests that check for both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B—typically the most common strains of the flu virus.

Last winter, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for a number of at-home combined flu/COVID-19 tests. This fall, the agency granted the first marketing authorization for another combo flu/COVID-19 test: the Healgen Rapid Check COVID-19/Flu A&B Antigen Test™. The marketing authorization designation signifies that the product has undergone a more thorough review of safety and efficacy while an EUA expedites the availability of medical products during a health emergency.

The combo tests approved last year under EUAs, including Pfizer’s Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test®, can be found online and in pharmacies and typically sell for $25 to $30 for a two-pack. The Healgen test is expected to be available soon for consumer purchase, according to the company.

Scott Roberts, MD, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist, says an at-home combo test is a useful tool—especially because it can facilitate prompt treatment.

“Often, when an individual begins to feel sick, they wait a few days before calling their doctor. And then, the doctor might not have an appointment for two days. By that point, if they have the flu, it is past the window for taking Tamiflu, an antiviral treatment that can lessen symptoms, but it should be started within 48 hours of symptom onset,” Dr. Roberts says. “Similarly, with COVID, treatment with the antiviral therapy Paxlovid should start within five days of symptom onset.”

With access to an at-home test, people can test themselves sooner and call their doctor for a prescription. If they aren’t interested in antiviral therapy or are outside the window of time in which it would be useful, knowing a diagnosis of flu or COVID-19 is helpful in other ways. It can prevent further spread of the illness if they test at home instead of coming into a medical setting—and they also know to stay away from people who are vulnerable to serious illness from flu or COVID-19, including infants, elderly people, and anyone who is immunocompromised.

Below, Dr. Roberts talks more about at-home combo flu/COVID tests.