Following a federal report warning of false-negative results, the use of COVID-19 PCR curative tests is being discontinued at emerging test sites supported in Los Angeles County, the Department of Health Services said in a statement. communicated on Sunday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert that Curative testing could provide false negative results.
Mayor Eric Garcetti defended the evidence Thursday, ahead of the county announcement.
According to the county, Curative provided a limited number of tests at emerging test sites in mid-December, accounting for 10% of LA county tests administered over the time period.
The department warned that all tests present a risk of false negative results and urged residents who give negative tests to continue isolating for 14 days after exposure or 10 days after the onset of symptoms.
“There is no reliable way to detect the infection early, which means the infection often spreads before symptoms develop,” the county said in the statement. “However, PCR tests, including the curative test, are still better at detecting disease than other tests, including rapid tests.”