1/x https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬆️" title="Pfeil nach oben" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach oben"> Testing = https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬆️" title="Pfeil nach oben" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach oben"> Cases

This ALSO:

(1) https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬆️" title="Pfeil nach oben" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach oben"> #False_Positive PCR results (compared to True Positives)
especially if https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬆️" title="Pfeil nach oben" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach oben"> #asymptomatics tested

&

(2) #NON_infectious cases IF excess Ct cutoff

Leads to #erroneous reporting of #NON_infectious #Cases

REF
1) https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3699.short?rss=1&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bmj%2Frecent+%28Latest+from+BMJ%29">https://www.bmj.com/content/3...

2/x REFERENCES

2) Viral cultures for COVID-19 infectivity assessment – a systematic review

By Prof @carlheneghan et al

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.04.20167932v3.full.pdf">https://www.medrxiv.org/content/1...

20/x REFERENCES

20) 1/x How many Covid diagnoses are #false_positives?

By @carlheneghan

Quoting,

„When virus levels in pop’n are very LOW, the chances of a test accurately detecting Covid-19 could be even <50%

for reasons #NOT widely #understood.“ > https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-many-covid-diagnoses-are-false-positives-/amp">https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www...

2/x con‘t

„. #specificity is about proportion of people who test negative, out of the pop’n who should have tested negative

Estimates suggest ~80% of infected people will have a positive test ( #sensitivity)..

#specificity may be as high as 99.9% for those who test negative.“>

21/x REFERENCES

21) One number could help reveal how infectious a COVID-19 patient is. Should test results include it?

1/x Quoting,

„..testing centers should report .. #CT_value, which indicates HOW MUCH VIRUS an infected person harbors.“ > https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/one-number-could-help-reveal-how-infectious-covid-19-patient-should-test-results">https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020...

2/x con‘t

„ #CT_values..who is #infectious..

#CT_value is an #imperfect #measure, advocates concede..

A test that registers a positive ..after 12 rounds, for #CT_value of 12,
starts out with >10,000,000 times as much viral genetic material
as a sample with CT value of 35“ >

28/x REFERENCES

28) Rethinking C19 Test Sensitivity-A Strategy for Containment

1/x Quote

“KEY question is not..but #how #effectively #infections can be #detected in a population..

The #tests we #NEED are #fundamentally #different from [PCR] tests..”> https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2025631">https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/...

2/x Quote,

“..By several criteria, .. (PCR) test FAILS when used in a surveillance regimen

After collection, PCR samples ..require transport to a ..lab staffed by experts..drives up costs..delay results by 1 or more days. The cost and effort ..and slow turnaround times mean..”>

3/x REFERENCES

3) https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3374">https://www.bmj.com/content/3...

4/x REFERENCES

4) By @apoorva_nyc #click=https://t.co/xobsTYmVXI">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/health/coronavirus-testing.html #click=https://t.co/xobsTYmVXI">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/2...

5/x REFERENCES

5) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-54000629?__twitter_impression=true">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/...