They can differentiate. What the cdc is recommending is combining covid and flu tests in a panel that is ordered together, something many places have been doing for a while. PCR is very specific in differentiating between viruses.
They are discontinuing the original Assay Kit distributed from the CDC. There are litterally dozens RT-PCR Assay kits. CDC is specifically recommending labs transition to Multi-analyte Respiratory Panel Tests, so they can test for multiple illnesses in one test. OMG, so evil! As always, the OP is just misinformation.
FDA Link with 11 pages of tests with EUA’s
Specifically, they seem to be recommending the newly approved BioFire Respiratory Panel 2.1
On March 17, 2021, FDA granted the first marketing authorization using the De Novo review pathway for the BioFire Respiratory Panel 2.1 (RP2.1) (PDF - 630 KB). The BioFire RP2.1 is for the simultaneous qualitative detection and identification of multiple respiratory viral and bacterial nucleic acids in nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) obtained from individuals suspected of respiratory tract infections, including COVID-19.
After how many cycles will every test return as positive?
"They can differentiate. What the cdc is recommending is combining covid and flu tests in a panel that is ordered together, something many places have been doing for a while. PCR is very specific in differentiating between viruses." ~ Mom MD