Pharmacy tweeps (scientists on the high street) you may be asked by patients for help to interpret COVID test results. I've suggestions about what to say, comments welcome. Question: My result is negative, am I really OK? Answer: Negative results are almost always accurate. 1/3
Question: My result is positive, but I've heard the test is unreliable. Simple answer: A positive result is most likely to be accurate, so you should follow advice to isolate. Complex answer: False positives are possible, but this depends on how much COVID is circulating. 2/3
When COVID is common a positive result is more likely to be accurate. When COVID is rare, the percentage of false positives goes up. If you have symptoms or a close contact with COVID, then your positive result is always more likely to be accurate. 3/3
You can follow @jon_silcock.
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