Buyer beware: inflated claims of sensitivity for rapid COVID-19 tests

Fitzpatrick, Meagan C.; Pandey, Abhishek; Wells, Chad R.; Sah, Pratha; Galvani, Alison P.

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)32635-0

Cited by 41 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This finding may have some impact on testing strategies. Austria like other countries propagates low threshold testing by test kits for lay use, which mostly lack external validation of their sensitivity and specificity(20). Sensitivity varies considerably altogether in Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) (21).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Symptoms and risk factors for hospitalization of COVID-19 presented in primary care

Rabady

Kamenski

Brose

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background Early detection is essential to control COVID-19. Symptoms are often unspecific. Data collected merely from patients tested according to testing criteria might lead to missing a bulk of spreaders. Knowledge of symptom development during the disease helps to detect complications early. Few data have been collected in primary care so far. Aim To extend knowledge of early symptoms as a precondition of timely diagnosis, isolation and contact tracing. To gain understanding of associations between symptoms and complicated disease to help avoid hospitalization. Design and Settings This study was designed as a retrospective observational study in Austrian GP practices in the year 2020. Methods Patients above 18 years with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test were included. Data collection comprised basic demographic data, risk factors and the recording of symptoms at several points in time during the course of the infection. Further descriptive data analysis was carried out by using the statistical software program R. Results Symptoms clearly typical for COVID-19 are rare. Most symptoms are nonspecific, like malaise, fatigue or joint ache. We found symptoms indicating complicated disease, depending on the time of their occurrence. Anosmia we found to develop only after several days in many cases. At the end of the isolation period many patients still experience symptoms. Conclusion Low threshold contact in GP practices including testing can prevent overlooking early symptoms. Patients may benefit from early monitoring. We recommend a medical check-up at the end of the isolation period.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Symptoms and risk factors for hospitalization of COVID-19 presented in primary care

Rabady

Kamenski

Brose

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…25 This has been suggested as a driver in the White House Rose Garden COVID-19 outbreak in the fall of 2020, where negative SARS-CoV-2 test results were reported to contribute to a feeling of safety, and non-compliance with masking and physical distancing. 26 Routine asymptomatic staff screen testing also carries the risk of false positive results. While the analytical specificity of SARS-CoV-2 testing by RT-PCR is nearly 100%, there are several reasons why the real-world specificity is lower, often estimated to be around 99.9 to 99.99%.…”

Section: Potential Harms Of Screen Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Routine Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Screen Testing of Ontario Long-Term Care Staff After COVID-19 Vaccination

Kain¹,

Stall²,

Allen³

et al. 2021

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SARS-CoV-2 screen testing is routine serial testing of asymptomatic individuals outside of outbreak or known exposure settings to identify staff infectious with SARS-CoV-2 and exclude them from work. Routine asymptomatic screen testing of staff has been proposed as a potential mitigating strategy to reduce SARS-CoV-2 introduction and transmission in long-term care (LTC) homes. A rapid review of the literature found no real-world evidence to either support or refute screen testing in preventing LTC home COVID-19 outbreaks. There are several direct harms associated with screen testing, as well as opportunity costs, including exacerbating LTC staffing shortages. On the basis of the evidence reviewed, and given the high rates of protection of COVID-19 vaccines against symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, the potential harms and costs of screen testing among vaccinated LTC home staff likely outweigh the benefits.

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“…Some product inserts, such as the Aptima Combo 2 Assay for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae detection, 32 have switched to using this more precise terminology when validating their assay compared to another for individual testing. Fitzpatrick et al 33 advocated a move to this terminology as well for test validation in general. Therefore, rather than including sensitivity in an expected value of tests expression, it may be best to use PPA.…”

Section: Laboratory Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%