can covid 19 antigen tests be false positive?

What Causes a False Positive COVID-19 Testand Is It Common? It's possible when the viral load is low, such as when testing is done too soon after exposure and you don't yet have symptoms. Negative results from an antigen test should be considered in the context of clinical observations, patient history and epidemiological information. Also see CDCs guidance on Quarantine and Isolation. This guidance supplements and is consistent with CDCs Overview of Testing for SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 Point-of-Care and Rapid Testing guidance. When rapid antigen tests are crucial Contrary to what some still think is best, a rapid antigen test (or rapid lateral flow. Still, these are pretty rare, says Thomas Russo, M.D., a professor and the chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York, noting that false negatives are much more likely to happen.. No test is 100% accurate - there will always be some people who test positive when they do not have the . It may be appropriate to confirm antigen test results with a laboratory-based NAAT, as described below. Which test is best for COVID-19? - Harvard Health A symptomatic person who has received a negative antigen test result and then a negative confirmatory NAAT should be considered for alternative diagnoses and avoid close contact with others to prevent spreading illness. If the results are discordant, the confirmatory test result should be interpreted as definitive for the purposes of clinical diagnosis. The whole idea of home COVID tests expiringand when this actually happensis a little confusing. The authorized instructions for use for each test can also be found on the FDA's. Refer to the package insert and ensure proper timing for each specimen when processing the specimen in the test device and reading the results. 15 things not to do when using a rapid antigen test - The Conversation A demonstration of the Ellume at-home test. False positive results have been reported with the BD Max SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR reagents Max system. She's been part of multiple award-winning investigations into health topics including the international medical device industry and maternal mortality in New York City. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised people who show COVID-19 symptoms but test negative with a rapid antigen test to get a PCR test to confirm the results. In general, for all diagnostic tests, the lower the prevalence of infection in the community, the higher the proportion of false positive test results.