Britons warned to avoid unapproved coronavirus tests

 

Paddy (6) draws the pavement with chalk in Balham, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain, April 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britons should not purchase unapproved antibody tests to find out if they have had the coronavirus, the official in charge of the government's testing programme said on Saturday, warning that they could not be relied upon and may put people at risk.

 

Britain, like many other nations affected by the coronavirus epidemic, is trying to find a way to test whether citizens have had the virus and are now immune. But, scientists are yet to find a reliable method that can be produced on a mass scale.

 

John Newton, National Coordinator of the UK Coronavirus testing programme, warned against purchasing unapproved tests online for personal use, or in bulk for firms to test employees.

 

"Please don't buy or take any unproven tests," Newton said in a statement issued by the health department. "They may not be reliable for your intended use; they may give a false reading and put you, your family or others at risk."

 

Knowing whether a person has immunity from the virus is seen as a crucial step toward returning to normality after a pandemic in which more than 147,000 people have died and much of the world economy has been shuttered or severely disrupted.

 

Britain previously said it had purchased 3.5 million so-called antibody tests with the hope of quickly rolling them out to the public. However, those tests have proven insufficiently reliable and the government is now supporting domestic research into a creating viable test.

 

Such tests work best around one month after a person has had the virus and may be possible to take at home using a finger prick that delivers a result within 20 minutes, Newton said.

 

"Such a test could, if developed in such a way that they could be reliably used at home and be sufficiently accurate, be a game-changer," he added.

 

(Reporting by William James, editing by Andy Bruce)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-18

 

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That should be a no brainer...even for the mentally challenged of all countries...

Bang on. Why spend your own money on a dodgy commercial test when you can get the same thing from official sources for free.

 

https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/03/24/heres-what-the-cdc-says-about-the-test-for-the-coronavirus/

 

 

24 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

Bang on. Why spend your own money on a dodgy commercial test when you can get the same thing from official sources for free.

 

https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/03/24/heres-what-the-cdc-says-about-the-test-for-the-coronavirus/

 

 

So, are you suggesting that a person with a positive test doesn't matter and they should go back to work? It is such an attitude which lead to the Smithfield outbreak.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52311877

 

The Republican governor was complicit in this by refusing a stay at home order.

Why warn them? 

Me thinks Brits are immune to warnings and advices. ????

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Britain, like many other nations affected by the coronavirus epidemic, is trying to find a way to test whether citizens have had the virus and are now immune. But, scientists are yet to find a reliable method that can be produced on a mass scale.

Perhaps they should just buy or license the technology from Abbott Diagnostics, the US company which is already running plenty of antibody tests. There's also a German company, the name I can't recall who are doing pretty good in this area.

 Yep, until the risks of the vaccine is known it would be better to die naturally of the disease, otherwise you might get sick trialing the cure.

 

Wake the <deleted> up...save a life by relaxing the rules in regards to testing. 

 

 

Is this the same as the warning to stay away from unqualified electricians rewiring your house?

I would strongly suspect that the vast majority of people are already aware of this.

2 hours ago, rickudon said:

So, are you suggesting that a person with a positive test doesn't matter and they should go back to work? It is such an attitude which lead to the Smithfield outbreak.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52311877

 

The Republican governor was complicit in this by refusing a stay at home order.

And do you as lousy at reading palms as you are at reading minds?

Hey , like some people, there were some in Iran who tried poison as they were

told it would work. It did work as they died from the poison and not the virus.

That is why you should use something that is not a fly by night, hopeful

test.

Geezer

21 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

And do you as lousy at reading palms as you are at reading minds?

I tried mind reading, but there was nothing there....

17 minutes ago, rickudon said:

I tried mind reading, but there was nothing there....

Next time, try somebody else's rather than your own.