This UK Gov supplied document was used in a FOI to justify the use of PCR tests during the non-pandemic
Can someone tell me how it justifies them as i've ha dit 2 years and cannot figure it out
I asked the DHSC this question and got the following answer:
- the official policy/guidance from DHSC to the various bodies who are following the above policy. I can confirm that the Department holds information relevant to your request. As the information held by the Department is in the public domain, we will under Section 21 of the FOI Act (information accessible to the applicant by other means) refer you to the published source, a summary of evidence on the accuracy of the test,
I’ve been reading it for 2 years and still cannot figure out how it justifies any use of the PCR tests - can anyone tell me?
It does include a few notable gems such as :
We identified 39 individual studies and one pooled analysis reporting outcomes including diagnostic accuracy, detection rates and the time taken to obtain test results. (they added this update) We carried out quality assessment of the studies and judged the majority to be at risk of bias in one or more aspect of their design or conduct, which means their results may not be reliable. (My comment) So not too accurate then these studies?
Some studies did not include methods of confirmatory/differential diagnosis to validate the test results obtained (e.g. the proportion of likely false positive and negative results). (they added this update) A pooled analysis estimated the sensitivity of an initial RT-PCR test result to be 89%, using results of repeated RT-PCR as the reference standard. (My comment) So does this mean that there is an estimated 11% false result?
There are important gaps in the available evidence on the effectiveness of tests for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. (they added this update) Studies of virus testing in asymptomatic patients, or in specific populations such as healthcare workers are limited in number and there is no evidence on the validated diagnostic performance of the tests beyond their use in the hospital setting. (My comment) So pretty useless then?
A true assessment of the accuracy of RT-PCR test results is very challenging, and using these RT-PCR for validation mean the same issues apply to the results of antibody tests studied in this way. (My comment) so the test has lots of problems with accuracy and the antibody test cannot be used for doublechecking the results due to these inaccuracies?