The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking emergency use authorization for a new diagnostic test that can simultaneously detect Covid-19 and the influenza virus, Modern Healthcare reports.
In prepared remarks for a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Redfield said that it is unclear how long the COVID-19 pandemic will last but that “COVID-19 activity will continue for some time.” Similarly, the impact the pandemic will have on the upcoming flu season is unclear, but “if there is substantial COVID-19 and seasonal influenza activity at the same time, this could place a tremendous burden on the healthcare system and result in many illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.”
Many predict that a second wave of coronavirus cases could hit in the fall during the start of the flu season. In preparation for such a scenario, the CDC is seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA for a new assay that can simultaneously detect SARS-CoV-2 and influenza, as “determining if influenza or SARS-CoV-2 is causing the infection is also important to clinical treatment, infection control, and community mitigation efforts,” Redfield said.
