Experts say increased use and uneven reporting of positive antigen tests will likely cause undercounting of covid-19 cases, reports the New York Times.
As rapid coronavirus tests are becoming more widely available, delivering results in minutes for patients in doctor’s offices, nursing homes, schools and even the White House, officials warn of a significant undercount, blurring the virus’s spread nationally and in communities where such tests are more commonly used.
Public health officials say that antigen tests, which are faster than polymerase chain reaction (P.C.R.) tests but less able to detect low levels of the virus, are an important tool for limiting the spread of the coronavirus. But they caution that with inconsistent public reporting, the case undercount may worsen as more “point-of-care” antigen tests, as well as D.I.Y. and home test kits, come on the market.
Public health experts say that more coronavirus rapid testing will lead to more undercounting of coronavirus cases, even in states that attempt to count them publicly. What’s going on?
Read more at the New York Times.
