Many people who get COVID-19 develop symptoms that are similar to those of a cold or flu. Since we’re in the middle of the flu season, it is easy to get on a different level of anxiety.
Fortunately, stuffy nose and scratchy throat shouldn’t be anything to get alarmed about given advances in improved COVID-19 testing with the dual flu and COVID-19 rapid antigen test.
Read on to learn more about how to know the difference between these two and how the dual flu and COVID-19 rapid antigen test brings diagnosis to a whole different level.
Knowing The Difference Between COVID-19 & Flu
There is a lot of overlap between flu and COVID-19 symptoms. So knowing the difference accurately can be tricky. For instance, common symptoms of both infections are cough, muscle aches, sneezing, sore throat, running nose, stuffy nose, and more.
However, the degree to which each of these symptoms is manifested varies for both infections. For instance, a new loss of sense of taste or smell is usually experienced without a runny or stuffy nose as an early symptom of COVID-19. On the other hand, loss of sense of taste or smell rarely manifests during flu infection.
It is difficult to accurately diagnose the differences between the flu and cold just by empirically examining symptoms alone. We cannot also measure the degree of occurrence of a symptom by mere observation too. Testing is needed to accurately diagnose COVID-19 or flu.
How The Dual Flu & COVID Test Works
Understandably flu is a seasonal infection that affects people around fall or winter times. But we now live in unusual times since the beginning of the pandemic. It is important to accurately differentiate between infection with COVID-19 or flu.
Fortunately, the rapid flu and COVID-19 combination test kit is now available for diagnosing infection with either flu or COVID-19 in a single testing session. The dual test is able to detect the presence of either of these two viruses in many individuals, including children over the age of two years, and test results are usually ready in as little as 30 minutes.
The testing kit uses a nasal swab that is inserted into the lower nostril and is capable of detecting and differentiating certain proteins on the surface of SARS-COV-2 and protein antigens of influenza virus A and influenza B in the human nasopharynx.
Diagnosis of flu or COVID-19 using the dual test is not just accurate; it is also qualitative because results are seen as color bands that indicate the presence of a specific antigen that is unique to each of the different pathogens. Test results are usually ready within just 30 minutes.
Why Do We Need A Combination Test Now?
It is not unusual for most people to underestimate discomforting symptoms like the common cold, fever, and many other COVID-19 and flu-related symptoms. So when they experience these symptoms, they try to manage it on their own without diagnosis or just based on the notion that flu always runs its course and subsides after a while.
But times are different now since the beginning of the pandemic. Accurately diagnosing whether the infection is flu or COVID-19 is key to preventing complications and to keeping yourself and others safe too. The good news is that the combination test is fast, safe and you can get your result in as little as 30 minutes.
At Rapid Care Testing, we make health care accessible to everyone by providing highly accurate and rapid COVID-19 testing that follows the best performance standards. Schedule an appointment today for dual flu and COVID-19 testing in Memphis and Germantown, TN. It takes just 30 minutes!
