Rapid testing for COVID-19 associated with low rate of false positive results
Canadian researchers have found that rapid antigen tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus are associated with a very low rate of false positive results.
Canadian researchers have found that rapid antigen tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus are associated with a very low rate of false positive results. Those that do occur may be the result of a batch issue, the timing of the test, or an issue with the testing as performed by the patient,1 according to Joshua Gans, PhD, and colleagues, from the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
The Creative Destruction Lab Rapid Screening Consortium implemented the rapid antigen tests as another protection against viral transmission in the workplace. During the study, conducted from January 11 to October 13, 2021, employee volunteers self-tested twice a week at the workplace or home. If a test was positive the patient was referred for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 24 hours.
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