The FDA Approves First At-Home Flu and Covid Test

A winter tale as old as time. As soon as the latest daycare or school sickness sweeps through your house, parents are often left wondering—is it Covid or is it the flu? From deciding whether to quarantine or head to the doctor or what medicine you should pick up, a lot is often riding on just what bug your kid might be carrying.

In hopes of clearing up the confusion without having to head to the doctor, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an over-the-counter test that checks for both Covid and the flu at the same time.

The new test is manufactured by Lucira (one of the early makers of at-home Covid tests), and is the first over-the-counter test approved to check for Influenza A and B as well as COVID-19 in adults and children aged 2 and up. All you need to do is to take a nasal swab similar to Covid testing and you’ll get an easy-to-read electronic result in just 30 minutes, letting you know if your kid has Covid, the flu or neither.

The test hasn’t been made available to the public yet, but when released, parents will be able to pick up a test without a prescription at their local drug store or on Lucira’s website. Lucira hasn’t confirmed the price point for the combination test yet, but parents can most likely expect it to be around their current Covid test price of $35 a pop.

Of course, no test is 100 percent accurate, and there is a risk of false positives and false negatives. So, if you’re experiencing symptoms, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and visit your doctor.

While this at-home test might not replace the need for every doctor’s visit, it does make it easier for parents to make informed decisions and take charge of their family’s health. Until more combination tests are made available learn some of the tell-tale signs of Covid versus the common cold here.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.