RE: British Airways introducing rapid test13 May 2021 16:06
Baffyman, argue with those at the British Medical Journal.
‘Although controls within assays minimise errors, technical problems during sample collection, processing, or reporting can give false results. Lateral flow tests produce very few false positive results, and in a low prevalence setting these can be detected by confirmatory PCR testing. False negative results are more concerning. Besides technical errors, they can arise in people tested during the 5-7 day incubation period before the viral antigen shed in the nose and throat is sufficient to be detected, usually 1-2 days before symptom onset. Taking swabs requires skill, and swabs taken by untrained individuals are more likely to give false negative results. False negatives might create a false sense of security, paradoxically increasing transmission risk.
https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n208