Is it COVID, the flu or just a cold? It’s a question we’ll no doubt be asking ourselves at least once in coming months.
A new test that has just hit pharmacy shelves should solve that problem.
Combination rapid antigen tests (RATs) that can detect COVID and influenzas A and B are now available. And it you come up with negatives on those, then it’s just a cold and you need to ‘man’ up.
Medicines watchdog the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) gave the tests the green light in September 2022, but five of the seven brands on sale were only approved at the start of 2023.
The combination tests work in the same way as traditional RATs, with the user placing the test sample in a well on the kit and waiting a short length of time for a control line to show up. Separate lines indicate influenza A, influenza B and COVID.
Professor Catherine Bennett, chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, said influenza and COVID rarely occurred together.
She said that while people who tested positive for the viruses should rest and keep a distance from others, understanding whether they had COVID or influenza could help them manage their illness.
“Knowing it’s COVID is important because that can actually change your decision about when you’re ready for a booster,” Prof. Bennett said. “That decision is based on six months from your last infection or booster.”
The TGA says people who get a positive result for influenza should “consult a medical practitioner for follow-up clinical care” and those who get a positive COVID result should check with their state or territory health department about their obligations.
It adds that as with traditional RATs, combination tests are not as accurate as PCR tests which are carried out in laboratories.
Will you get a box of these tests for the medicine cabinet?
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