How accurate are coronavirus tests? - BBC Newsnight

Testing for coronavirus is critical to our understanding of how widely the virus has spread and the data informs decisions on whether to tighten or ease lockdown measures. But are the tests for coronavirus fit for purpose?

Concerns have been raised about the tests’ accuracy. Some clinicians are worried that the tests are over-sensitive and could be picking up on the presence of virus fragments which are old or not actually infectious.

Health Correspondent Deb Cohen reports.

Kirsty Wark is joined by the World Health Organization’s special Covid-19 envoy Dr David Nabarro and ICU Consultant Dr Ron Daniels.

#BBC #Coronavirus #Newsnight

Newsnight is the BBC's flagship news and current affairs TV programme - with analysis, debate, exclusives, and robust interviews.

[Lgcoffee]

"Are the tests reliable?" You will never know the answer by watching this video.

[pedallinraw]

Few people died of the Rona meanwhile 1000’s have committed suicide over all of this BS 🤨😡

[sticklando]

Nothing to do with health everything to do with control !

[kathrynbarbara]

It’s not a gold standard test! No way....

[thomasthimble]

Polymerase Chain Reaction was never made to made a diagnosis, and that is stated by the man who created the P.C.R Test Kary Mullins.

[John_Bradbury]

That's not what false positives means, what the reporter is talking about is when the virus has been killed but there still are genetic traces which includes asymptomatic people . A false positive is when there are no traces of Sars-Cov-2 at all and yet the test is positive, specificity is the measure of this. So if there is a specificity of 99%, you would expect 1000 positive results in 100, 000 tests to be totally wrong. On top of this number you must add the people who have recovered and those who are asymptomatic. This raises the possibility of the threshold for re-imposed lockdown to be less than the margin of error. It also means that even if a society has totally eradicated the disease the test will still show it to be present.

[mre]

How absurd for an untrustworthy BBC to put out a video such as this

[FraLin]

I think BBC should but the banner ADVERTISING when they speak with a PCR Lobbyist!

[karljonsson]

Dr David Navarro is a "special adviser" on the UN Agenda 2030 goals, color me surprised...

[tompain]

The PCR "test", is not a diagnostic tool!

[bobleclair]

Are they changing their gloves for each test they do?

[Mangomesh]

Consider my best mate told me he isn't allowed to discuss his results with people outside of work, yeah I think we can question how accurate coronavirus tests are? He is still working along with the rest of the workforce.

[Cittamatra]

Get to the point.

PCR uses two primers, that anneal to two specific zones of the target genome. The primers are only 20-30 nucleotides or bases long. The low number of nucleotides on the probes renders the PCR test's specificity extremely low in an un-purified sample.

In short, the PCR test protocols won't differentiate between SARS-CoV-2, influenza A & B, or other genetic garbadge, floating around in your snot sample.

Turn up the temperature cycles > 40 and the number of FALSE POSITIVES will rocket.

Verdict:

FRAUD

[schiffer]

I thought NHS cycle thresholds were set at 40 to 45 and that private companies have their own thresholds. But I also thought you could not culture above 25ct which has 70% of the virus present and that 30ct 36ct compared to 25ct is the difference from earth to the Also not the NHS or other companies will not divulge on their tests the cycle thresholds.

[bobsyeruncle]

The test is not fit for purpose we are being lied to as usual.

[dreamagilityltd]

We’ve been asking our council at the leadership group for information on hospital admissions as well as test results. They won’t give them. It took months to get them to report on deaths. We’ve had no deaths since mid July. Why is it impossible to get them to use context, or a bit of common sense? When your salary will always be paid by the public there’s no incentive to do the balanced things for the economy, general health and the 96% of business that’s small business.

[HuplesCat]

The 30% false negative results is way more concerning but never mind eh?

[okidoki]

WHO got the whole world in a lockdown, for what? Its ridiculous.
And taking credit for what? Like COVID is all to worry About! Are you serious? Come on

[juliejeavons]

Given the peak from Nov to Feb, this hasn’t aged well

[famelessgforceful]

Dr tells us he's more worried about false negative, but he's admitting that the test isn't accurate? He then attempts to spin it, that it means there is more positives left undiagnosed? Which he then must have to admit that the reverse is just as likely, that many more false positives? The man who invented the test Kary Mullis, has said that this test shouldn't be used for diagnosing patients for infections. This test can't be use as the gold standard, as he suggested. Because it doesn't test for virus load, infection rate. Amplifying a molecular billions of times with a test that doesn't distinguish between RNA, and is misused when it is amplified over cycles. Most laboratories are using much higher cycles and there is the problem. Anything above 30-35 causes everybody to be positive, and that isn't science at all.