The coronavirus tests to reopen the economy have important limitations, notes this diagnostics expert ForbesFrontlines
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To date, most of the laboratory testing for COVID-19 has utilized a technology called PCR, which can determine if SARS-CoV-2’s genetic material, or RNA, is present in a patient’s sample - usually a nasal swab. PCR is a verymethod – meaning it can detect a very small amount of virus in a sample – but no test is 100% sensitive. Additionally, the tests that currently exist are meant to be used for diagnosis, not screening.
To illustrate this, let’s say someone who lacks symptoms gets tested so they can be cleared for work. A COVID-19 PCR test is performed and comes back “negative.” While this could indicate that the person is not infected, it could also mean she was recently exposed but still in the incubation period, and therefore, doesn’t have enough virus to be detected by the test.We Still Don’t Know What Antibody Tests Tell Us...
Another potential concern is that serology tests, especially those that test for IgM antibodies, are not 100% specific. This means that the test can yield false positives due to the presence of antibodies from other infections.
Despite these limitations, testing will play an important role in the ramp-up of the global economy. Although no single, currently available test will allow us to eliminate risk, a combination of PCR and serology may help us establish different tiers of risk. For example, a person testing positive by PCR but negative for antibodies could be considered “high risk” as a source of infection. In contrast, an individual who is negative by PCR but positive for antibodies could be considered “low risk.
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