Coronavirus

FDA Warns Of False Positive COVID-19 Tests

BD Max System Test for the coronavirus returned false positives 3 percent of the time.

FDA Warns Of False Positive COVID-19 Tests
Jae C. Hong / AP
SMS

One common coronavirus test has been found to sometimes return false positives.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on an increased risk of wrong results when using the Becton, Dickinson and Company Max System test.

In testing, the manufacturer found the nasal swab test provided false positives 3 percent of the time.

The BD Max System was given emergency authorization in April.

The FDA says it's working with Becton, Dickinson and Company to resolve the issue. Until then it advises labs and health care providers to confirm results using another test.

Contains footage from CNN.