RE: Potential to reach over 300p in the next two weeks - low risk to reward28 Aug 2020 16:22
“The test, called BinaxNOW, is an antigen test, which are somewhat more likely to incorrectly diagnose someone as negative when they are in fact infected than by using molecular tests. While molecular tests are the most accurate on the market, they depend on technical lab equipment, trained personnel and a strained supply chain, which makes scaling up molecular tests to a massive level difficult.
"Due to the potential for decreased sensitivity compared to molecular assays, negative results from an antigen test may need to be confirmed with a molecular test prior to making treatment decisions," the FDA said in its authorization of the BinaxNOW test. "Negative results from an antigen test should be considered in the context of clinical observations, patient history and epidemiological information."
The test is only authorized for use in patients suspected to have Covid-19 and "within seven days of symptom onset," the FDA says, meaning it is not authorized to test asymptomatic or presymptomatic people. “