Routine Antigen Testing Is Not a Substitute for Health Care Worker Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2
- 1 September 2021
- journal article
- editorial
- Published by American Society for Microbiology in Journal of Clinical Microbiology
- Vol. 59 (11), e0156421
- https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.01564-21
Abstract
The utility of rapid antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 is measured within the context for which it is applied; diagnostic accuracy must be considered in determining if rapid antigen testing is appropriate for the clinical situation. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, J.N. Kanji et al (J Clin Microbiol 59:e01411-21, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01411-21) evaluate two rapid antigen tests that demonstrate high false-positive rates in asymptomatic healthcare workers. The assays may not be useful in situations where there is a shortage of staff, such as healthcare, since isolation would occur unnecessarily for these employees.Keywords
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