# Accuracy of the Covid test



## SGWidow (3 Jan 2021)

Any reliable data on how accurate the test is in Ireland - in particular the % of false negatives?


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## odyssey06 (3 Jan 2021)

At one point I read 1 in 5.
That is not a true false negative figure.

Some were due to poor swabs taken and training was changed in light of that.
Some were due to the person exposed but not yet infected with virus.

It is one of reasons why close contacts were getting tested twice.

Would need to see the total figures inc second test.


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## odyssey06 (3 Jan 2021)

False positive rate is much lower at most 0.2% based on Australian tests which same setup we do.


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## SGWidow (3 Jan 2021)

Hi odyssey06,

Firstly, thank you for all the help that you have given me and others with your very many informative posts on Covid.

In relation to this particular question, where are you getting the 0.2% figure from? 

Authoritative sites (Lancett, Harvard, etc.} that I've read still refer to potentially 20ish percent?


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## odyssey06 (3 Jan 2021)

False negative rate was from Irish Times.

False positive rate for Ireland based on these comments from Prof Cillian de Gascun.

There were large scale tests in Australia using same PCR setup used in Ireland where there was a positivity rate of 0.2%









						Coronavirus: Testing system delivers maximum of one in 500 false positives
					

Ireland’s coronavirus testing system delivers a maximum of one false positive for every 500 tes...




					www.newstalk.com


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## SGWidow (3 Jan 2021)

Thanks again odyssey06,

Ouch!……..when you said false positive.....I read that as false negative...….[and my little brain said where is he getting a 0.2% rate for a false negative?!]...….must be the beginning of the end for me!

What I'm really looking to understand is the likely false negative rate in our PCR tests.


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## Merowig (16 Mar 2021)

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						The Brussels Times
					






					www.brusselstimes.com
				




The Bretagne has its own mutation which seems not to be detectable with a PCR test.


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