Photo Illustration by Lecia Landis for Verywell Health; Getty Images
The COVID-19 pandemic made it commonplace to do an at-home rapid test to diagnose whether winter respiratory symptoms were from the virus. While getting a positive test in just a few minutes can solve the mystery, what if it’s not COVID? Electronic Parts
Outside of the United States, rapid tests exist for COVID as well as the other primary culprits for cold-weather respiratory symptoms: the flu and RSV. The combination tests are already available in Europe and Australia.
If these tests exist, why isn’t the U.S. using them? Here’s what infectious disease experts say.
As of the start of 2024, there is no FDA-approved or FDA-authorized rapid combination respiratory virus test available in the U.S., Thomas Russo, MD, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo, told Verywell.
There are combination tests; you can test yourself for COVID, the flu, and RSV at home, and then mail your sample to a lab using the Pixel by Labcorp COVID-19+Flu+RSV Test Home Collection Kit. But it’s not a rapid test because you have to wait to get your results.
These combo tests may not be available to consumers, but “doctors certainly have access to these as well and use them in hospitals more frequently these days,” William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Verywell.
If you’re thinking two out of three isn’t bad, there is a rapid at-home test available that can check for COVID and the flu: the Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test. After taking a self-collected nasal swab sample, you’ll get your results in about 30 minutes.
Lucira filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and Pfizer later acquired the company.
Experts seem optimistic that a triple test for the triple threat could be in our future.
“The momentum from COVID favors more infectious disease home tests,” infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Verywell. “Home tests are important for rapid diagnosis, linkage to antiviral therapy, and for avoiding unnecessary antibiotics.”
Knowing what is making you sick—and ASAP—is vital if you are at high risk for serious complications from a respiratory illness. You can’t rely on how you feel to give you enough clues about what you have.
“Symptoms alone can’t tell you what you have. But you can treat an illness if you know what you’re dealing with,” said Schaffner.
The signs and symptoms of respiratory illnesses like COVID, flu, and RSV can overlap, but the way they need to be treated can be quite different. For instance, antivirals like Paxlovid and Lagevrio can treat certain COVID cases, while a different antiviral called Tamiflu treats the flu.
While experts may agree that having a rapid combination test for all three respiratory viruses would be welcome, it may not be around the corner.
"Getting approval from the FDA for these tests is a rigorous process,” said Russo. “But it would be so helpful if we had something like this before the next respiratory virus season.”
If you have respiratory symptoms, home rapid COVID tests are more readily available than Lucira tests—you may even have some in your cabinet at home already. Starting with a rapid test for COVID is the first step you should take since they are widely available.
If an at-home COVID rapid test is negative and you feel like you’ve got something more serious than the common cold, Russo says the next step is to call your healthcare provider to get tested for the flu. If the flu test is positive, Russo said treatments like Tamiflu can shorten the duration of symptoms.
If it’s not the flu and it’s not COVID, your provider might recommend testing you for RSV. Russo said there’s currently no specific treatment for RSV in adults, but your provider will let you know what steps you should take next to recover. If you’re age 60 or older, they also might talk to you about a game plan for avoiding RSV in the future—for example, getting the RSV vaccine for adults.
If your rapid COVID test is positive, Russo also recommends letting your provider know as soon as possible. Depending on your symptoms and overall health, you might be able to take Paxlovid.
A combination rapid respiratory virus test is not approved for use in the U.S. even though they exist in other parts of the world. For now, test yourself for COVID at home if you have symptoms and follow up with your provider about next steps.
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.
Australian Department of Health and Aged Care. Q&As on combination rapid antigen self-tests.
Securities and Exchange Commission. Lucira Health to pursue strategic sale of its business through voluntary chapter 11 process,
Food and Drug Administration. FDA authorizes first over-the-counter at-home test to detect both influenza and COVID-19 viruses.
By Korin Miller Korin Miller is a health and lifestyle journalist who has been published in The Washington Post, Prevention, SELF, Women's Health, The Bump, and Yahoo, among other outlets.
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