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Ending the Pandemic: Are Rapid COVID-19 Tests a Step Forward or Back?

Overview
Journal West J Emerg Med
Specialty Emergency Medicine
Date 2021 Jun 14
PMID 34125024
Authors
Tony Zitek
Joseph B Fraiman
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Some experts have promoted the use of rapid testing for COVID-19. However, with the current technologies available, continuing to replace laboratory-based, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests with rapid (point-of-care) tests may lead to an increased number of false negative tests. Moreover, the more rapid dissemination of false negative results that can occur with the use of rapid tests for COVID-19 may lead to increased spread of the novel coronavirus if patients do not understand the concept of false negative tests. One means of combatting this would be to tell patients who have a "negative" rapid COVID-19 test that their test result was "indeterminate."

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