Coronavirus Test Results May Not Always Be Accurate, Doctors Say

Research suggests the COVID-19 test may not be fully accurate.

Doctors said patients can still have the virus even if they get a negative test result.

There are more than 15 different coronavirus tests being administered for COVID-19.

According to research, the test could be wrong up to 30 percent of the time.

“It’s not a perfect,” said Dr. Michael Talbert, pathology chairman at OU Medicine.

He said the Food and Drugs Administration told doctors to expect false negatives.

"The studies just haven't been done to show the exact statistical performance of each test,” Talbert said.

The  Oklahoma State Health Department said the test it is administering got a "gold standard" rating.

But research from China shows some COVID-19 tests were accurate only 70 percent of the time, while other studies show tests were 97 percent accurate.

"If you detect too early, you may not detect the virus,” Talbert said.

Research from China said some patients were tested as many as six times before their coronavirus case was confirmed.

The accuracy of the test, combined with the level of virus in the patient's body, and the person giving the test, can all lead to false positives.

What's more concerning is it can lead to false negatives, because the infected patient is still spreading the illness.

“A single COVID-19 test should not be interpreted all by itself to rule out disease,” Talbert said.

Doctors said patients who test negative the first time, they should be retested if they have symptoms and they've been exposed to the virus.

They say what makes COVID-19 dangerous is its durability, how quickly it spreads, and its death rate.

The FDA approved a five-minute COVID-19 test to be distributed across the nation on Friday.

To compare, the CDC said the accuracy of the flu test can range from 50 to 90%.