Question NW975 to the Minister of Health
08 June 2020 - NW975
King, Ms C to ask the Minister of Health
What number of false-positive test results for Covid-19 were detected in each province since the declaration of a national state of disaster?
Reply:
There have been claims of false positive results, however, it is difficult to confirm the claims because the same sample needs to be tested to determine if there are inconsistent results. The results are determined by the amount of virus in the sample and this can differ if samples are taken at different times. The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) will conduct external quality assurance and proficiency testing schemes to determine the quality of results. Proficiency testing schemes are performed by providing participants with test samples for analysis and determine how closely their results agree with the accepted values. Regular participation in a proficiency testing scheme provides staff with an insight into their laboratory’s performance, benchmark performance with that of the other participant laboratories and demonstrate to end user of analytical data, regulatory bodies and accreditation bodies that there is a commitment to measuring quality.
END.