Covid-19 or flu? While the symptoms of the two viruses are virtually indistinguishable, starting this fall, they will be distinguishable from each other. For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic swept the world in early 2020, pharmacies have tests that can detect both Covid-19 and the flu. These antigen tests are almost identical to those known during the pandemic, but they are also now only capable of detecting influenza virus.
        Fall and winter 2022 in the northern hemisphere will arrive at the same time, and the two pathogens will go hand in hand, something that has not happened since the beginning of the pandemic. This has already happened in the Southern Hemisphere, where the flu returned to seasonality – albeit earlier than usual – but temporarily lost its season due to disruptions caused by Covid-19 and measures taken to contain its gender-based spread. .
        In Spain – and therefore throughout Europe – the latest data suggest that something similar will happen. The epidemiological bulletin of the Ministry of Health shows that the incidence of these two pathogens is actually at the same level. The infection has been growing modestly but steadily for more than three weeks.
        The procedure for the combined antigen test is the same as for the Covid-19 test: depending on the type of test purchased, a sample is taken from the nose or mouth using the supplied swab and mixed with the solution included in the kit. diagnostic kit. In addition, there are two different types of test kits: one with two small sample containers – one for Covid-19 and one for influenza – and a third with only one. In both cases, the red line determines whether coronavirus or influenza antigens (types A and B) are detected.
        The duration of the active cycle of both viruses is the same: the incubation period is from one to four days, and infection usually lasts from eight to 10 days. Maria del Mar Tomas of the Spanish Society for Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology noted that antigen tests are very reliable for people who test positive, but not as reliable when they come back negative. “Maybe there was a sample collection error, maybe the virus is still in its incubation period, or the viral load might be low,” she said.
        Therefore, experts recommend that people who show symptoms consistent with these two diseases take basic precautions to avoid infecting others, especially the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, who are most likely to be hospitalized or hospitalized with an infection or die. Covid-19 or flu.
        As it stands, there is no reason to assume that this outbreak of Covid-19 or influenza will be worse than previous waves, in which death rates and hospitalization rates were much lower than in the earlier stages of the pandemic. If the Omicron variant continues to behave as it does now, it can be foreseen that the transmission rate will be high, but the impact on the public health system will not be as significant as in 2020 and 2021.
        Currently, the main strain is the same strain that caused the seventh wave of Covid-19: BA.5, a sub-variant of Omicron, although other strains have been found that could replace it. The original strain of Omicron has been mentioned in published studies to date; a study in July found that five days after the onset of the first symptoms, the majority of infected people (83%) were still positive for the antigen. Over time, this number will decrease. In most cases, the infection cleared up after 8 to 10 days, but 13 percent remained positive after this time period. In general, a positive test result correlates with the ability to infect other people, which should be taken into account when testing.
        Another study, published in October, looked at the most common symptoms among 3,000 people who tested positive for Omicron. These symptoms were: cough (67%), sore throat (43%), nasal congestion (39%) and headache (35%). Anosmia (5%) and diarrhea (5%) were the least common.
        A new test could determine whether these symptoms are caused by Covid-19 or the flu.