If you’re like me, you’ve probably become adept at testing yourself, or your kids, at home for COVID-19. And you may be wondering why you can’t do the same for flu and RSV, both of which are now hitting record highs in the U.S. It’s important to know what virus you have as quickly as possible, since the antiviral treatments for influenza and COVID-19 are different.

After talking to several infectious disease experts, here’s what I learned about how the pandemic has changed how we think about self-testing, and why flu tests might be coming soon:

• One barrier to self-testing in the U.S. is that we're a very medicine-centric country. Most medical-related tasks, including testing, are performed by health professionals because of concerns about how well the rest of us can conduct and interpret at-home tests. But COVID-19 showed that the public can reliably take a nasal swab and test themselves without the help of a health professional.
• The need to distinguish between flu, RSV, and the common cold is increasing, especially since antiviral therapies need to be started soon as symptoms first appear to be effective.
• Such kits may be available to the public, without a prescription, in as little as five years.

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