Global Point of Care
The flu, or influenza, is a respiratory virus we tend to think of as a cold-weather infection. It can peak between December and February but respiratory flu is actually a year-round virus, and a contagious one at that. The good news is that a rapid flu test can help you or your family members get the right treatment sooner and help keep you from spreading it to others.1,2
Need to find a test provider or buy a COVID-19/Flu combo self test to conduct at home
The flu, or influenza, is a respiratory virus we tend to think of as a cold-weather infection. It can peak between December and February but respiratory flu is actually a year-round virus, and a contagious one at that. The good news is that a rapid flu test can help you or your family members get the right treatment sooner and help keep you from spreading it to others.1,2
Need to find a test provider or buy a COVID-19/Flu combo self test to conduct at home
You know that uncomfortable feeling from fever, chills, aches, coughing, a runny nose. You’re exhausted and all those symptoms won’t let you rest. Sure, they’re classic flu symptoms, but they’re also classic indicators of a few other respiratory illnesses, like COVID-19, strep throat, and RSV.
Instead of assuming that flu is the culprit, find a test provider or buy a self test for COVID-19/flu as soon as symptoms appear. A rapid test will help identify what the underlying cause so you can start the right treatment sooner.
If you or someone close to you has flu-like symptoms, rapid tests can provide accurate diagnosis, possibly leading to appropriate treatments more quickly.
Learn more about the flu and how rapid tests can identify the virus, leading to the right treatment sooner.
Antiviral medicines treat respiratory flu. They work best, however, when you start taking them just after flu symptoms appear.3 So, when you feel symptomatic, the sooner you get rapid testing, the sooner you’ll get an accurate diagnosis and can start the right treatment to feel better.
Here’s why rapid testing matters:
Antiviral medicines treat respiratory flu. They work best, however, when you start taking them just after flu symptoms appear.3 So, when you feel symptomatic, the sooner you get rapid testing, the sooner you’ll get an accurate diagnosis and can start the right treatment to feel better.
Here’s why rapid testing matters:
If you start taking antivirals within two days of feeling symptoms, there’s evidence you can feel better quicker. 3
Given that antivirals work best when they’re both prescribed and taken quickly, getting a rapid flu test once you have symptoms is recommended. It gives your clinician the most accurate information in a short window of time so that a treatment decision can be made early to get you feeling better sooner.1,3
Take a rapid test within the first 48-hours of experiencing symptoms, especially if you have a high fever and upper respiratory symptoms.
There’s no doubt that having the flu is uncomfortable. For many of us, it’s a few days of feeling under the weather.4,5 But it’s not uncommon for some to feel tired and weak for up to several weeks following the initial infection.6 However, people with underlying health conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease—or children younger than 5, older than 65, or who are pregnant—can have complications from the flu.2 They need to be seen by a clinician and treated quickly.
Here’s what you should look out for:
There are steps you can take to help avoid catching or spreading the flu.
During the early stages of the pandemic, we helped pioneer the technology used on the frontlines to test for COVID-19. Now that same technology is available to you in a convenient at-home self test. You can choose between testing for COVID-19 only or COVID-19 and Flu combined.
Learn about respiratory illnesses and the newer advanced test technology that offers fast and accurate results. Knowing now means you’ll be treated earlier which can help you get well sooner.
Rapid tests are essential tools to help diagnose what’s behind your symptoms, so you can treat earlier and get well sooner. Understand the differences between rapid molecular tests and at home COVID-19 antigen self tests.
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