Important points
- Adults in the United States now have access to a free test that detects influenza and COVID-19 in one sample.
- If you test positive for either disease, you can have your prescriptions delivered to you by mail or at a local pharmacy for free, regardless of where you were tested.
- The program aims to help patients with respiratory infections receive timely antiviral treatment and speed recovery.
Free at-home testing and treatment for coronavirus and influenza is now available through a government program expanded across the country this week.
The National Institutes of Health has teamed up with digital health company eMed and the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to improve testing and treatment for COVID-19.
The program was piloted in some parts of the United States in January. It will reportedly include influenza testing and treatment and will be available across the United States. statement Wednesday from the National Institutes of Health.
Anyone with a positive COVID-19 or influenza test can request a free telehealth consultation, regardless of whether they were tested through the program. Your health care provider may then prescribe antiviral treatment. You can have it mailed overnight or pick it up at your local pharmacy.
“The at-home testing and treatment program allows patients who live in rural areas or who do not have access to a primary care physician to enroll in the program and, if medically indicated, to the nearest hospital in the city. You can have your antiviral prescription waiting for you at the pharmacy.” It can take several hours, or your prescription can be waiting on your doorstep within a day. ” Michael Mina, MDsaid the chief scientific officer of digital health company eMed in an email.
Although any adult can request telehealth services, only those who are uninsured or enrolled in a government health plan such as Medicare or Medicaid can request a free test mailed to their home. Only those who are. These people do not need to have symptoms to get tested.
The program uses Pfizer’s Lucilla This is an at-home test that can simultaneously detect three viruses: novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), influenza A, and influenza B. Lucira is a molecular test, meaning it works like a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test rather than an antigen test. The most common at-home test.
“This respiratory virus season, the symptoms of COVID-19, influenza, and other viruses are very similar,” Mina said. “This is mainly because symptoms are primarily a reflection of our body trying to fight off the virus. This is because symptoms alone are not enough to know what a person has been infected with. Knowing which one it is is essential to determining the appropriate treatment.”
Antiviral drugs for influenza and COVID-19 often need to be taken early in the disease process to be effective. Mina said the goal of the program is to allow people to receive diagnosis and treatment in hours instead of days.
Paxlobid, the most common antiviral drug for COVID-19, must be taken within five days of the onset of symptoms. Anti-influenza virus drugs, such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) and Relenza (zanamivir), are effective if taken within 2 days of onset of symptoms.
Test results for COVID-19 are now less monitored than they were at the beginning of the pandemic, so public health experts have less data to understand how the virus is spreading. It’s getting less. However, in the past week, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 have increased by 17% and deaths by 25%, according to CDC data.
Fran Kritz contributed reporting to this article.