Studiesexternal icon have shown that antigen tests have similar sensitivity to laboratory-based NAATs when viral load in the specimen is high and the person is likely to be most infectious. Keep Checking Back Here of antigen tests is typically as high as many NAATs, which implies that incorrect positive test outcomes are not likely when an antigen test is used according to the maker's directions.
In basic, for all diagnostic tests, the lower the prevalence of infection in the community, the higher the percentage of false favorable test outcomes. Positive and negative predictive values of all in vitro diagnostic tests (e. g., NAAT and antigen tests) vary depending upon the pretest probability. Pretest likelihood considers both the occurrence of the target infection in the population that is being evaluated in addition to the scientific context of the individual being evaluated.
If the frequency of infection in the neighborhood is low, and the individual being evaluated is asymptomatic and has actually not had any known contact to an individual with COVID-19, then the pretest possibility is typically thought about low. See CDC's Interpreting Results of Diagnostic Tests for extra details on the relationship between pretest possibility and the probability of positive and negative predictive values.
Furthermore, state health departments generally release COVID-19 data on testing positivity rates and case rates for their communities. Processing of Antigen Tests for SARS-Co, V-2 The Conditions of Permission in the antigen EUAs define that CLIA-certified laboratories and testing websites are to follow the maker's directions for usage, normally discovered in the package insert, when carrying out the test and reading test results.