Rapid test for coronavirus shows false negative results

A study by researchers at the New Langon Institute of Health at New York University showed that a rapid test for the emerging coronavirus, promoted by President Donald Trump and used to examine White House officials, gave false-negative results in almost the half of the cases.

The test created by Abbott Laboratories showing positive results in five minutes and negative in 13 minutes was compared to devices that took 45 minutes to give the result.

The researchers found that the Abbott test showed false negative results in about a third of the cases in which the sample was taken with a nasal swab in a liquid solution, and 48% when it remained dry, which is the method recommended by the company. .

The labs opposed the results of the study, which has not yet been reviewed by independent researchers, and told AFP that it was not clear that the samples were taken correctly.

“Abbott distributed more than 1.8 million tests, and the percentage of false negative results reported to the company was 0.02%,” said company spokesman Scott Stoffel.

He added that another University of Detroit study found the test to be 98% accurate.

The study authors indicated that they decided to investigate the test because the speed with which the results appeared was beneficial to their institution, especially to the medical center’s emergency department.

For comparison, a Roche test showed results in 3.5 hours, while a test for Seifed took 45 minutes, according to the study authors.

The ID Now test received a lot of attention when it obtained regulatory approval and Trump presented it at the White House in late March.