Q1: I have been hearing about CT scans as possibly being better at testing for #COVID19 than the current swab test. Is this true?
A1: It’s a bit more complicated. Experts believe that the false negative rate can be around 30% with the swab test due to improper sample collection.
CT scans check ”ground glass” opacities in the lungs, which are common to several diseases (pneumonia, for example). While there could be false positives, clinicians say that the chance of this decreases once out of flu season. In other words, it could be a more specific test.
Q2: So does that mean CT scans should be promoted to test #Covid_19 patients?
A2: Certainly decreasing the false negative rate is important in clinical treatment of #coronavirus. However, identifying cases at scale is as well...
CT scans are a resource intensive method to #test individuals. CT scans cost roughly $200-$250 per scan and so are not economical at the scales required. Lower cost methods like contact tracing or expanding swab tests can work well if scaled.
*The bottom line: CT Scans may be beneficial for a subset of the population, but we should continue to focus on #SocialDistancing, #ContactTracing, and widespread low resource testing to aid in the control of the #coronavirus.
#TestTraceIsolate #FactsMatter #TestingTestingTesting
Read more from @statnews here: statnews.com/2020/04/16/ct-…
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