THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
December 6, 2022 at 17:30 JST
A test kit that simultaneously detects COVID-19 and seasonal influenza manufactured by Fujirebio Inc. (Provided by Fujirebio Inc.)
The health ministry approved on Dec. 5 a test kit that can simultaneously detect COVID-19 and seasonal influenza as an over-the-counter (OTC) medical product.
The kit, manufactured by Fujirebio Inc., allows testers to swab the mucous membranes in the nasal cavity with cotton buds.
It will then show whether the testers are infected with the novel coronavirus or influenza in 20 minutes.
It will be available in pharmacies and through the internet.
This is the first time that a kit that tests for both COVID-19 and influenza at once has been approved as an OTC medical product in Japan.
Fujirebio says it will start selling the test kit to the public as soon as the preparations finish.
The company has already supplied the test kits to hospitals and other medical institutions.
The kit will be sold to people who can receive the directions that pharmacists will provide in-person or via email.
Pharmacies with brick-and-mortar stores will be allowed to sell the kit online.
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