Experts have pondered the possible reasons for test limitations, including but not limited to problems with chemical reagents used to perform the tests, the biology of the individual patient, timing (if symptoms are waning, false negatives may be more prevalent), and – perhaps most worrisome – incorrect swab placement by the person doing the nasopharyngeal testing (one physician joked – sort of! – that he wants to see cerebral spinal fluid on each swab!)

The daily briefing announcements of BC’s current COVID-19 positive cases is a joke, given the number of both sick people, asymptomatic people or dead people who are never tested. When a friend in Vancouver became ill and tested positive on March 19th (a few days after a big family birthday party at her home), none of her party guests could get tested, although several family members did later test positive. Now, with added capacity since then, we’re told that anybody who wants to be tested, can be. The public health policies, including now this policy for surgical patients that reinforces Picard’s “half-hearted” embrace of testing, are unfortunate.
regards,
C.