The rapid coronavirus test used by the White House may miss nearly half of positive cases, study finds
The rapid coronavirus test used by the White House may not be providing staffers with accurate results, Bloomberg reports.
An unconfirmed study from New York University found that Abbott Laboratories' ID NOW test, whose arrival on the market was the source of great excitement thanks to its ability to deliver results within minutes, missed at least one-third of positive cases detected by rival test Cepheid GeneXpert.
In response to previous concerns about high false-negative rates, Abbott issued advice on how to avoid inaccurate results, including avoiding storing samples in a liquid known as transport media that could dilute the test. But the NYU study found that implementing those changes actually led to even more false negatives. Compared to Cepheid's test, it missed 48 percent of positive samples.
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The White House uses ID NOW to test staffers — some of whom are tested on a daily basis — governors, lawmakers, and reporters who come in close contact with President Trump, Bloomberg notes. There's no evidence the test has missed any cases among those people, and the NYU report like most coronavirus-related studies is still awaiting review, but false negative tests have been a general concern throughout the pandemic. Read more at Bloomberg.
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