The results of the antigen test are not yet included in the total Covid-19 case count for some states – not even as probable cases, as recommended by the US Disease Control and Prevention Center.
Five states – California, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri and Nevada – publicly report only the cases confirmed with PCR tests in their online counts, according to a CNN analysis by health department panels in all 50 states.
Some states report only the results of the polymerase chain reaction test in their Covid-19 case numbers and exclude the results of the antigen test, since antigen tests are generally considered less accurate. But, as antigen testing increases in the United States, this exclusion can lead to possible counting errors.
“Antigen tests are relatively inexpensive and most can be used at the point of care. Most currently authorized tests return results in approximately 15 minutes,” according to the US Food and Drug Administration, but also notes that it is generally less sensitive than other types of tests.
In California, for example, CNN has been informed that the results of the Covid-19 antigen test should be reported to local health departments and the California Department of Public Health. But the Covid-19 test data released publicly reflects only the results of diagnostic tests that detect the genetic material of the coronavirus, such as the PCR – polymerase chain reaction tests.
CNN requested antigen test data from the state’s public health department, but was informed in an email that “the results of the antigen test are not being publicly released across the state at this time.”
In the remaining four states, the data they each shared with CNN represents about 10,000 positive Covid-19 antigen test results reported in just a small sample of days in January.
If included in reported case counts, positive antigen test results would increase Covid-19 cases reported by these states by between 5% and 50% at that time, according to CNN’s analysis.
Read the full story:
