PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Brendan Healy
AU  - Azizah Khan
AU  - Huria Metezai
AU  - Ian Blyth
AU  - Hibo Asad
TI  - The impact of false positive COVID-19 results in an area of low prevalence
AID  - 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0839
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - e54--e56
VI  - 21
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/21/1/e54.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/21/1/e54.full
SO  - Clin Med2021 Jan 01; 21
AB  - False negative results in COVID-19 testing are well recognised and frequently discussed. False positive results, while less common and less frequently discussed, still have several adverse implications, including potential exposure of a non-infected person to the virus in a cohorted area. Although false positive results are proportionally greater in low prevalence settings, the consequences are significant at all times and potentially of greater significance in high-prevalence settings. We evaluated COVID-19 results in one area during a period of low prevalence. The consequences of these results are discussed and implications for these results in both high and low prevalence settings are considered. We also provide recommendations to minimise the risk and impact of false-positive results.