Q: What's the latest testing news?!
A: The @US_FDA has granted emergency authorization to pharmaceutical company @Roche for a new antibody test that is much more accurate than existing options.
Quick reminder about antibody testing: It provides information about PAST infections
Reason for optimism: The new test has much (!) better accuracy than others on the market, with a 1 in 500 false positive rate.
@qz explains: "If 5% of 1,000 people have #coronavirus, then, using the [the first authorized antibody test], a positive result stands only 49.5% chance of being correct. Using the Roche test on that same population, a positive result is 96% likely to be correct."
Reasons for caution: While its accuracy is now best-in-class, the Roche test is not perfect (as is the case with all tests!).
Accuracy remains particularly problematic for recent infections (past 14 day window)
Leading expert @ScottGottliebMD (former director of the @US_FDA) recommended this morning that “If you do go out and get an antibody test, and you get a positive result, meaning you have the antibodies, I would suggest you repeat it.”
Post-approval monitoring of the new test's accuracy will remain critically important in order to understand its performance in the broader population.
Read the full article here: qz.com/1850518/roches…
#nerdygirls #COVIDー19 #COVID19 #TestTraceIsolate
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