Chinese Coronavirus Tests Don’t Work
Spanish health authorities are ordering doctors to stop using Chinese coronavirus tests after discovering only 30% of the positive results from the test were accurate. These tests were supposed to have an accuracy rate over 80% and be used for a quick initial screening with further testing done in a more advanced laboratory, but with an only 30% accuracy rate they are nearly useless.
Spain hoped to use the tests to quickly identify the hardest hit areas and direct resources where needed, but have ordered doctors to stop using the tests as the accuracy is to low to be useful. Spanish doctors are falling back to alternative tests which take longer for a result, but are more accurate than these rapid tests.
The situation in Spain has rapidly become serious, with over 50000 cases and 4000 deaths as of Thursday afternoon. With numbers approaching Italy’s, Spanish medical authorities are beginning to brace for an even bigger crisis in the country.
Medical staff in the Czech Republic have also claimed the same issues with coronavirus tests manufactured in China, although it is unclear if these are the same tests. Countries are scrambling to find accurate testing and medical supplies as the pandemic spreads throughout the world.
