In the wake of a federal report warning of false negative results, the use of COVID-19 curative PCR tests is being discontinued in pop-up testing sites supported by Los Angeles County, the Department of Health Services said in a statement. on Sunday.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that Curative tests can provide false negative results.
Mayor Eric Garcetti defended the tests on Thursday, ahead of the county’s announcement.
According to the county, Curative provided a limited number of tests on pop-up test sites as of mid-December, accounting for 10% of LA county tests administered during the period.
The department warned that all tests are at risk of false negative results and recommended that residents with negative results continue to isolate themselves for 14 days after exposure or 10 days after the onset of symptoms.
“There is no reliable way to detect the infection early, which means that the infection usually spreads before symptoms develop,” the county said in the statement. “However, PCR tests, including the Curative test, remain better at detecting disease than other tests, including rapid tests.”