Prognosis
Abbott Virus Test Used at White House Faces Accuracy Concern
- Device missed 48% of positives in one test, NYU study says
- Findings of study have yet to be reviewed by other scientists
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The coronavirus test from Abbott Laboratories used at the White House to get rapid answers to whether someone is infected may miss as many as half of positive cases, according to a report from New York University that the company immediately disputed.
The analysis, which has yet to be confirmed, found that Abbott’s ID NOW missed at least one-third of positive cases detected with a rival test and as much as 48% when using the currently recommended dry nasal swabs, according to the report on BioRxiv, a server where researchers post early work before it has been reviewed by other scientists.