Avoiding false positive for SARS-CoV-2 when using rapid antigen tests

In light of frequent false positives, a team of Canadian researchers has shown that rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 work only when manufacturer instructions are followed. The research is published this week in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The impetus for a study to demonstrate the putatively obvious was that […]

Sweden uncovers 3,700 false positives from COVID-19 test kit

Sweden’s Public Health Agency said Tuesday a faulty test kit had returned some 3,700 false positive results, an error discovered by two laboratories during routine quality controls. The agency said the PCR kits, which test for an ongoing COVID-19 infection, were made in China by the company BGI Genomics and had been distributed worldwide. In […]

Oropharyngeal secretions may help reduce false negative COVID-19 test results

As the global battle to understand and eliminate the coronavirus continues, a new study published in the Journal of Dental Research demonstrates that testing of oropharyngeal secretions (OS) may reduce the number of false negative results from nasal swab testing of patients who have seemingly recovered from the disease. In the study, led by Jingzhi […]