Raleigh, NC – As North Carolina and other states work to reopen safely, it will require millions more coronavirus tests per day. An idea on the table is something called a group test.
Two infectious disease experts told WRAL News that they both admit that group testing has some unique benefits and some drawbacks. It’s a new way to dramatically expand testing and possibly work to control the spread. Instead of testing a person, you can test a group to see if anyone in that group has the virus.
“If that test is negative, you know those ten people are all negative,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in an interview on Capitol Hill. “Instead of using ten tests, you use one test.”
Are pool tests accurate? Dr. David Ingram, a retired infectious disease specialist, is not sure.
“It’s going to be less accurate because you have to dilute the samples when you put them together to extract the samples,” Ingram said.
As the number of coronavirus cases increases, test groups sound attractive. But it can come at a cost, according to Dr. Daniel Westreich of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“The only downside, if you take four negatives and one positive, you put them in a group, you are diluting the positive signal, you will lose your sensitivity,” Westreich said.
With more and more calls for the test, some wonder if the test is the group’s answer.
“I think it is part of the answer,” said Westreich. “We just need more tests. We can test many more people if we start grouping them together.”
WRAL verified if any hospitals in the Triangle are implementing group tests. WakeMed officials said they are evaluating the group tests, but it is not something the hospital is ready to implement at this time. There was no response from other area hospitals on Wednesday night.
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