There’s a chance your negative COVID-19 result may be false

Roughly 1 in 5 negative COVID-19 tests are false negative, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Yuma, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY)- Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that the chance of a false negative COVID-19 result is greater than 1 in 5 and at times, far higher.

A false-negative is when the virus is not detected in a person who actually is, or recently has been, infected.

False-negative results can affect us as we try to flatten the curve.

Individuals with these results may very well have symptoms but may fail to take precautions to stop transmitting the virus after falsely testing negative.

Dr. Bharat Magu, Chief Medical Officer at Yuma Regional Medical Center, says it all depends on how well your test specimens are collected.

He said, “This test is done in the throat or deep in the nasal passage. So if the probe does not get enough of the virus, it can be falsely negative."

Dr. Magu added, "There are documented incidents of patients who have symptoms but apparently the test did not pick up the virus.”

If your test is positive, Dr. Magu confirms you most likely have the virus, as only very few cases of false positives have been reported.