Abbott Laboratories' rapid COVID-19 tests can produce false negatives in patients who are infected, STAT reported.
When the test was given emergency use authorization by the FDA, the agency approved two ways to use the tests. One way was by putting the swabs used to collect patient samples directly into Abbott's ID Now platform, the machine used to analyze test results. The second way was by putting the swabs in a liquid solution to be tested.
While the first method is still considered to be effective, the second method has been producing false negatives, according to STAT.
Abbott said healthcare providers should no longer use the second method.
Abbott has shipped 600,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests since they were approved March 27. The tests have been used at CVS and Walgreens drive-thru testing sites, testing sites in Detroit for nurses and police, and in urgent care centers in Chicago. They've also been used in hospitals to determine whether patients can safely undergo surgery and the type of protective gear physicians should wear, according to STAT.
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