TAMPA, Fla. — As we go through this pandemic, tests evolve and protocols get better.
Dr. Jill Roberts, an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is going to let its emergency use authorization run out on PCR tests and shift to a test for both COVID and the flu.
She says this is the CDC preparing ahead of time. It's really important because the flu season testing will begin soon. Flu shots are recommended come fall.
"The idea is when we have an issue with COVID increasing, and we know the laboratories are going to get the burden of testing for influenza, it would be a really great idea to shift to an assay that can do both in one test," Dr. Roberts says.
You may be thinking, "well we didn't have a flu season last year." Dr. Roberts says that's because we were wearing masks. Since more people are taking them off, we can expect the flu season to pick back up again.
She says since the symptoms are the same for COVID and the flu, it's important to know which one you have because COVID spreads much easier and the viruses are treated differently.
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