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An at-home COVID-19 and flu test gets FDA emergency use authorization
(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/02/28/lucira-covid-flu-test/stories/202302280110
The Food and Drug Administration has approved an at-home test that can detect and discern between COVID-19 infection and two strains of the flu, Influenza A and B, continuing the shift from clinical to home-diagnostic care that blossomed during the height of the pandemic.
Manufactured by medical technology company Lucira Health, the test uses a nasal swab to detect the presence of a virus in 30 minutes. The emergency use authorization, announced Friday in a news release from the Food and Drug Administration, followed a surge in respiratory cases in the fall that drove up hospitalizations nationwide and in Allegheny County. National and local respiratory cases now are trending downward. Two days prior to the approval, Lucira filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing the hope for approval in August, prior to flu season.
The single-use test is currently only available for health care providers to purchase, at $99; a Lucira spokesperson said it is not yet known when consumers can buy the device more widely. The spokesperson said the test is expected to be at least partially, if not fully, reimbursable by insurance, depending on the consumer’s plan.
As of Jan. 15, all private health insurance members are eligible to receive up to eight at-home COVID tests at no cost.
Manufactured by medical technology company Lucira Health, the test uses a nasal swab to detect the presence of a virus in 30 minutes. The emergency use authorization, announced Friday in a news release from the Food and Drug Administration, followed a surge in respiratory cases in the fall that drove up hospitalizations nationwide and in Allegheny County. National and local respiratory cases now are trending downward. Two days prior to the approval, Lucira filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing the hope for approval in August, prior to flu season.
The single-use test is currently only available for health care providers to purchase, at $99; a Lucira spokesperson said it is not yet known when consumers can buy the device more widely. The spokesperson said the test is expected to be at least partially, if not fully, reimbursable by insurance, depending on the consumer’s plan.
As of Jan. 15, all private health insurance members are eligible to receive up to eight at-home COVID tests at no cost.
- more at link -
Americans for the most part have given up on wearing masks and social distancing. So there needs to be a quick and low-cost way to test at home, even for those of us who are already vaccinated. Maybe this is the answer, or at least it's a good start?
