Some nursing homes will also switch to another rapid test called Abbott ID NOW, which has been frequently used by the White House to screen visitors and staff in close contact with President Trump; this test, too, has produced unreliable results. The number of tests evaluated in Nevada was small, and does not necessarily represent the performance of the antigen tests in other contexts. In communities where the coronavirus is more widespread, for instance, the number of true positives might exceed the number of false positives. Days later, the agency extended coverage under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to include screening for infections in asymptomatic people in nursing homes and other congregate facilities. But experts have repeatedly warned that in the absence of data demonstrating that the tests can accurately evaluate people with no symptoms, results should not be taken as definitive.

Source: New York Times October 07, 2020 20:13 UTC