When I read about the Abbott new testing equipment, I thought wow, this as a real game changer.   It was small as a toaster.  It could in a matter of minutes let people know if they were positive with Covid-19.

This good news turned to very bad news, when studies indicated that  the test was unreliable due to a high rate of false negatives.   This is scary stuff.    Those who have received erroneous test results may not seek proper medical treatment and not go into immediate isolation.  This can result in further spread of  the disease.     Valid tests are particularly important in the case of high risk individuals of which I am one, due to my age. If I were to contract Covid-19, I would definitely want early treatment, and the only anti-viral out there is remdesivir.   So, exactly what the test promised,  early treatment and less spread of the disease, could easily result in just the opposite, delayed treatment and more spread.

Donald Trump endorsed the miracle tester, which counts for nothing. Sorry.  False negatives are really serious, because everyone receives the wrong diagnostic.

The Abbott miracle has turned into the Abbott nightmare.   I hope there is some immediate resolution whether this new test equipment is sufficiently reliable for general use.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/14/856531970/fda-cautions-about-accuracy-of-widely-used-abbott-coronavirus-test