How to interpret inconclusive or indeterminate results from a COVID-19 PCR or antigen test?
If your PCR or antigen test is inconclusive or indeterminate for COVID-19, it means that a small amount of viral DNA was identified but it was not enough to test positive. Your sample will need to be collected again and retested to get accurate results.
How common are false negative tests for COVID-19?
When performed under laboratory conditions, the UK Government estimates that PCR tests should never show more than 5% false positives or 5% false negatives. However, studies performed under real-life conditions suggest false negatives may be more commonplace.
What does a negative COVID-19 virus test result mean if you have symptoms of COVID-19?
If you test negative for the virus that causes COVID-19, the virus was not detected.• If you have symptoms of COVID-19: – You may have received a false negative test result and still might have COVID-19. You should isolate away from others. – Contact your healthcare provider about your symptoms, especially if they worsen, about follow-up testing, and how long to isolate.
What does inconclusive results mean?
An “inconclusive” result might mean “insufficient” or “indeterminate.” “Insufficient” simply means that there was a problem with the sample you provided that prevented it from being tested at all. “Indeterminate” means that the test didn’t provide a clear negative or positive result.
Why might a DNA test result be inconclusive?
Results may be interpreted as inconclusive for several reasons. These include situations where no results or only partial results are obtained from the sample due to the limited amount of suitable human DNA or where results are obtained from an unknown crime scene sample but there are no samples from known individuals available for comparison.
What does it mean when a biopsy is inconclusive?
A biopsy is sometimes inconclusive, which means it hasn’t produced a definitive result. In this case, the biopsy may need to be repeated, or other tests may be required to confirm your diagnosis.
What exactly does inconclusive mean on drug tests?
When a drug test comes out with a result of “inconclusive”, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the person being tested is a drug user. Rather, such a result means that the test has failed to show whether or not there is presence of narcotics in the person’s blood.