Manchester VT testing showed 65 CV19 infections using QUIDEL CORP (QDEL) ANTIGEN TEST. Retested using PCR test. ONLY 4 actually infected, 61 FALSE POSITIVES. Florida/Texas using ANTIGEN test since June

[BLA + 1,666]

DID FDA SCREW UP AGAIN ? Rush to approval ?

EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AT A MAINE SUMMER CAMP.  .   .   FALSE POSITIVES.

Update July 23 : Headline article Boston Globe on 94% false positives.  Dr. David Hamer, Infections Disease Specialist, Boston University "To me, the antigen tests is just not ready for Prime Time use"

The ANTIGEN test developed by Quidel Corp ( ticket QDEL) in use by the states since the beginning of June (including Florida and Texas) apparently have a very high number of false positives. 

In the Manchester, Vermont example 61 out of 65 were false positives ! ! ! 

That's 94% error rate in the Manchester sample.  

Florida and Texas are using this less expensive and faster Quidel Corp antigen test.  LESS EXPENSIVE AND FASTER IS WORTHLESS IF IT HAS A HIGH ERROR RATE.

Did the FDA do their due diligence before approval ? 

Are the recent increased infection rate numbers valid ? 

FLORIDA INFECTION RATE SPIKED WHEN THEY INCLUDED ANTIGEN TESTING  ! ! !

We need accurate test results.  

Manchester antigen test has been shown to be useless and counter productive. 

https://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/state-no-covid-19-outbreak-in-manchester-mountains,609685 

Edited July 26, 2020 by BLA

[Enthalpic + 1,496]

2 hours ago, BLA said:

The ANTIGEN test now in use by the states since beginning of June (including Florida and Texas) have a very high number of false positives.  

The testing was redone using the PCR test.

In the Manchester, Vermont example 61 out of 65 were false positives ! ! ! 

That's 94% error rate in the Manchester sample.  

Florida and Texas are using the less expensive and faster antigen test.  (and obviously unreliable)

Are the recent increased infection rate numbers valid ? 

FLORIDA INFECTION RATE SPIKED WHEN THEY INCLUDED ANTIGEN TESTING  ! ! !

We need accurate test results.  

Manchester antigen test has been shown to be useless and counter productive. 

https://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/state-no-covid-19-outbreak-in-manchester-mountains,609685 

The alternative is they messed up the PCR tests...

The antigen test mostly errors to false negatives.

Of course detection of cases went up with when they included antigen testing; many more, fast, cheap, tests.

 

False positives are not that counter-productive if all it does is tell someone to self-isolate. False negatives are far more dangerous.

 

Comparing methodologies in a lab is a major pain in the ass. You need fairly large data sets for both techniques to develop meaningful statistics; then when the math is all done the numbers will never exactly match, you can just say that there is no statistical difference.

Then once you've done in-house comparisons you start doing inter-laboratory round-robin studies. 

Even NIST -who spends big bucks making certified reference materials- has rather large uncertainties attached to some results.

 

 

 

Edited July 22, 2020 by Enthalpic