The co-circulation of COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) strains healthcare systems and increases severe illness risk for high-risk groups.¹

These outbreaks particularly threaten children, the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and those with underlying conditions, and have the potential to cause NHS service disruption, pressure on emergency departments, and missed elective surgery targets.²

Rapid and accurate PCR diagnosis and differentiation is critical to inform effective clinical decision making, treatment plans and infection control measures.³ 

Fast and accurate PCR diagnostics with Cepheid’s GeneXpert® system and Xpert® Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus test provide standardised, on-demand, and actionable results in 36 minutes, enabling healthcare systems to better manage the risk of respiratory outbreaks, streamline algorithmic-based workflows, enable optimised therapy and infection control, and minimise avoidable healthcare costs.³

PCR testing is typically considered the gold standard for COVID-19, flu, and RSV diagnosis due to its high sensitivity and specificity.⁴ National recommendations typically include a variety of technologies, including the use of PCR, to help determine the cause of an acute respiratory infection in higher risk settings.^5,6

Fast diagnosis is further critical to informing not only the correct therapy, but also the efficacy of the therapy through earlier appropriate prescribing.⁷

SARS-CoV-2 has evolved rapidly, especially with the Omicron variant and its subtypes, challenging diagnostic accuracy. Cepheid's diagnostic tests handle viral genetic drift well because they use primers and probes targeting multiple genes. This target redundancy enabled the Cepheid multiplex test for influenza A, influenza B, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 to withstand the mutations reported by Jorgensen, yielding no false negatives in the comparative study.⁸

• The Xpert Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus allows for accurate and fast results, optimising diagnostic efficiency and improving the provision of appropriate treatment³
  
  
• Testing with Xpert Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus may result in significant cost-savings compared to antigen and send-out PCR testing strategies and may result in fewer hospitalisations, ICU admissions, mechanical ventilations, and deaths compared to antigen and send-out PCR testing strategies³
  
  
• The Xpert Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus gives the right result first time, reducing the need for reflex and/or confirmatory testing⁹

* Performance using clinical nasopharyngeal swab specimens

^ For positive MRSA results with early assay termination. Otherwise, full runtime is 70 minutes.

# For positive Norovirus results with early assay termination. Otherwise, full runtime is 90 minutes.

1. Tam JS, Shu Y. China CDC Wkly. 2022 Jan 14;4(2):22-26.

2. NHS Confederation. Analysis: System under pressure. https://www.nhsconfed.org/topic/capacity-performance/systemunder-pressure

3. Davies, E, et al. A Cost-Consequence Analysis of Xpert Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV Plus for the Diagnosis of Viral Respiratory Infections from a US Health Plan Perspective. J Mol Diagn. 2023 25(11) (S1-S186): S64.

4. Garcia-Rodriguez J, et al. Key Insights into Respiratory Virus Testing: Sensitivity and Clinical Implications. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(1):63.

5. UKHSA. Guidance. Data quality report: national flu and COVID-19 surveillance report https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sources-of-surveillance-data-for-influenza-covid-19-and-other-respiratory-viruses/data-quality-report-national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-report

6. UKHSA. Blog. How we monitor flu and other respiratory viruses each winter. https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/10/08/how-we-monitor-flu-and-other-respiratory-viruses-each-winter/

7. Wong CKH et al. Optimal timing of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment after COVID-19 symptom onset or diagnosis: target trial emulation. Nat Commun. 2023 Dec 16;14(1):8377

8. Jørgensen RL, et al. Emergence of circulating influenza A H3N2 viruses with genetic drift in the matrix gene: be alert of false-negative test results. APMIS. 2022 Oct;130(10):612-617

9. Stockl K, et al. Use of Antigen and Molecular Testing for Coronavirus 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) among Patients with Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) in the Non-inpatient Setting. J Mol Diagn. 2023 25(11) (S1-S186): S53.

10. 2023 Internal data analysis actual 1.9.

About Cepheid

Cepheid is dedicated to improving healthcare by pioneering molecular diagnostics that combine speed, accuracy, and flexibility. The company's GeneXpert® systems and Xpert® tests automate highly complex and time-consuming manual procedures, providing A Better Way for institutions of any size to perform world-class PCR testing. Cepheid's broad test portfolio spans respiratory infections, blood virology, women's and sexual health, TB and emerging infectious diseases, healthcare-associated infectious diseases, oncology and human genetics. The company's solutions deliver actionable results where they are needed most from central laboratories and hospitals to near patient settings.

For more information, visit www.cepheid.com