Single test that detects COVID-19 and flu now available in Spanish pharmacies

A single test that detects COVID-19 and flu is now available in Spanish pharmacies, making it much easier to diagnose your illness.

According to the news site El Publico on Friday, September 23, the test can detect any of the known strains of COVID-19 and of flu.

The new test is the first that can be administered at home that differentiates between the two viruses without the need to take two tests or go to a specialist.

Anyone who has self-tested for COVID-19 will be aware of how the test works, with a sample to be taken from the nostrils. That is then mixed in the reagent after which a couple of drops of the fluid are put onto the test unit.

The unit, which provides a result in around 15 minutes, uses both a control line and an infection line. The test not only differentiates between the two viruses, but also determines whether the strain of influenza, if we have been infected, is influenza A or influenza B.

Pharmacies say that the self-diagnostic is a great innovation as it provides for the first time, an opportunity for the pharmacist to test which infection you have. That in turn enables the pharmacist to provide more accurate advice and / or medication.  

According to some pharmacies, the tests have been available since the beginning of the month but with little publicity and also little by way of viruses around, tests are not yet selling.

They do, however, expect demand to pick up in the near future as the cold of autumn and winter arrives and the virus returns to roam freely in closed environments. They also point to the use of masks having disappeared as another reason why infections should ramp up as soon as winter arrives.

Experts are split on whether a new wave of COVID-19 infections is coming, but one they do all agree on is that after a two-year hiatus flu will definitely be back.

It is understood that the dual test is being sold for the same price as the single COVID-19 test, with the government having set the price at €2.94.

The availability of a single test that detects COVID-19 and flu is good news for both the health profession and for the general population, with better and easier diagnosis comes better treatment.

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