A study has found that more than half of Australians are at risk of developing COVID-19 and that some are getting their test results wrong.
Key points:The study found a significant proportion of Australians who tested positive for COVIDs in January were incorrectly diagnosed as positive for other virusesThe study, conducted by University of Sydney researchers, looked at the proportion of people who were incorrectly identified as being infected with COVID or who tested negative in the last six monthsThe findings suggest people who are tested incorrectly in Australia are more likely to develop COVID symptoms, which include fever, headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat and sore eyesA large proportion of those who test positive for coronaviruses can have serious complications, including respiratory infection and serious brain damage, the study found.
The Australian Government says the risk of getting infected in Australia is very low, but it does not yet have an accurate number of people being infected.
It is estimated that about 3.6 million people worldwide have been infected with coronaviral infections, and the number of cases is increasing around the world.
The study used data from the National Electronic Health Record, which allows people to get tested for COV-19.
It compared a number of different tests, including a saliva test and a urine test, and found that the majority of people tested positive on the tests, but they were wrongly diagnosed as having COVID.
It found that between 31 and 58 per cent of people were incorrectly labelled as having been infected and the proportion was much higher for those who were wrongly tested positive.
It’s not clear what, if any, impact the study has on the number and type of people receiving the coronovirus test.
Dr Helen Rimmer from the University of NSW said people who test incorrectly are more at risk.
“What we are seeing is the incidence of false positives and the amount of time people are testing incorrectly is actually increasing and that’s a really worrying development,” she said.
“I’m very concerned that it’s going to increase.”
Dr Rimmer said some people who receive the test may not get the test results correctly, and that the problem could be further exacerbated by other factors, such as the type of coronavirent.
“We’re seeing a really high level of incorrect diagnosis of COVID and incorrect test results.
So this can be a really, really big problem.”
Dr Robert Macdonald, a medical epidemiologist at University of Newcastle, said that some people may be misdiagnosed and they may not know they have been incorrectly diagnosed.
“So, you may be having a false positive result because you were incorrectly tested, which could have been a symptom of COV,” he said.
Professor Macdonald said people should test their blood if they are unsure of their COVID status.
“But people should be aware that if you have a blood test and it’s positive and it goes to a laboratory, it’s generally considered that it has been a positive result,” he added.
Dr Romer said it was unclear how the study will affect Australia’s coronavide vaccine programme.
“One thing is clear, if there is an increase in incorrect test findings, that could be a big problem for the vaccine programme,” she added.
“If people do test positive but they don’t receive the vaccine, they could have a reaction and potentially be given a false result.”
The study was published in the Australian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Topics:infectious-diseases-other,disease-control,covid-19,australia