We Still Don ’ t Have At-Home Testing For the Flu —But COVID-19 Has Changed the Stakes

Most of us are used to a certain routine by now for when we feel sick. If we feel a little feverish, or start coughing, we reach for an at-home testing kit that tells us, with a quick nasal swab and after 15 minutes, whether we have COVID-19 or not. The tests are easy to use, and for now, paid for by insurance if you’ve got it. If you don’t have insurance, you can still get the kits for free from some community health centers. If the test shows that you’re positive, you know to stay home and mask up, and ask your doctor about taking antiviral medications that can minimize the symptoms and keep you from getting seriously ill. If you’re a parent and testing your kids, the kits can signal when to keep them at home from school. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It’s a win-win, since knowing your status means you can protect not only yourself but your community by not spreading the virus when you stay home and get treated. COVID-19 has set a new standard of expectations for testing, and knowing whether you’re sick, that is starting to make the way the U.S. traditionally manages winter season diseases look archaic. Why don’t we have the same self-tests for other common illnesses that spread during the colder months—such as flu and RSV? Each year flu leads to between 300,000 and 800,000 hospitalizations in the U.S., while RSV sends up to 80,000 young children under five years old to the hospital annually. “The pandemic...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news