Rapid Flu Testing: Keep Yourself & Others Safe When You Are Sick

Let’s say you have the cough, a fever, shivering, sniffles, a sore throat, or you are sneezing. Sounds like you have the flu right? It is Flu Season after all. Actually, you could be wrong and it might not be the flu.

“People often confuse the cold for the flu but they are actually very different and are definitely not the same thing.”

The truth is that many people think they have the flu, when in fact they don’t. Fortunately, there’s a way to quickly test for the flu virus if you are feeling ill or are suffering from flu symptoms. It’s called a RIDT (Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Test) and it’s now available for patients at South Coast Medical Group OC.

When we say these tests can give you rapid results, we mean rapid: as in 15 minutes or less. That’s faster than it takes to order and deliver a pizza!

You might be wondering, “What’s the point of a rapid test if you are already feeling sick?” Well there are a number of reasons why you should get a RIDT test if you aren’t feeling well and think you might have the cold or flu.

First, if you are feeling sick then the only reason you got sick is from someone else. Whether someone was sneezing in your direction, or shook your hand after coughing, or by some other method, the only way you got sick was because you came into close contact with someone who was sick. That means that as a sick person, you yourself are just a walking illness factory spreading the flu or cold.

Chances are, your coworkers, family, and friends would appreciate you not getting them sick. So knowing whether you have the flu virus or not is important in keeping others safe and health. This is extremely important in situations where someone is immunocompromised, such as people with certain immune diseases, young children with developing immune systems, or elderly persons who may be frail.

If you do test positive for the flu virus, then you are in luck! Antiviral medication can’t instantly cure you but it can definitely help with flu symptoms and even shorten the length of time you are sick.

Are you not feeling well right now? Is your sore throat or cough getting worse? Are you feeling cold and shivering? If you answered yes, then you definitely sound sick. Contact us so we can set up a time for you to come in, get tested, and feel better.