KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With the mass distribution of rapid COVID-19 tests, millions more can be tested, but are most of the results being reported?
Early in the outbreak, testing was a major issue. U.S. testing relied on genetic tests that could only be developed at high-tech laboratories. People had to wait at least three days to get results.
Experts pushed for more "point-of-care" rapid testing that could be done in doctor's offices, clinics and other sites to quickly find people who are infected, get them into quarantine and stop the spread.
This past summer, 15-minute tests — which detect viral proteins called antigens on a nasal swab — became available.
Now, millions of new tests from Abbott Laboratories are extremely easy to use and process.
There is a requirement for mandatory reporting, but many testing sites, like schools, report on paper — if at all. Needless to say, there is a growing margin of error in reported test results.
