False negatives

[watervole]

 A study of the accuracy of self collected samples in patients known to have SARS-CoV-2 has now been published indicating that self-testing has a sensitivity rate 75% (against 82.8% when taken by a health care worker); a false negative rate of 25%

My test came back negative.  But my husband's was positive.  I think it's pretty safe to assume I have it, and I'm going to stay away from my friends for the usual period.

I wonder how much spread is caused by people who assume they are okay after a negative test?

 

Comments

[igenlode]

It seems a bit pointless to test people on the assumption that you're going to ignore the result if it's negative. Presumably the thinking is that people wouldn't self-isolate at all unless 75% of the suspects were presented with a positive result?

[watervole]

I think it depends on the reasons for the test.

eg. If I had simply got a message saying I'd been exposed in a pub, and I got a negative from that, then I'd have accepted it (unless I had a temperature, sore throat, etc.)

If you're sharing a house with people who have tested positive and you have the same symptoms, then you accept that you're one of the 25%.

But I think a lot of people (especially those working) need the test result to show an employer that they genuinely do need to self-isolate.

[igenlode]

Yes -- and certainly in your case, since you're ill and your husband has tested positive and is ill, it must be a mistake. I hadn't thought about the possibility of people needing positive proof for their employers as well as negative proof, as it were.

[coth]

I tested negative, and didn't take extra precautions. But I was fairly sure I had a normal cold, and usual precautions were fairly strict anyway.

[coth]

And that was before the new variant.

I think you're wise. I hope your husband and you will both be okay.

[watervole]

I'm guessing we all had the new variant. Four of us down in as many days is pretty fast.

[ex_peasant441]

I hope you are all doing ok.

Remembering back to the beginning of the year and how long it took them to find a test they were prepared to sanction, it is obviously a very tricky problem. My sister (a hospital consultant, so not ignorant of diagnosing from symptoms) is convinced she had it back in the first wave but has never been able to produce an antibody to prove it.