A calculation example: If one assumes that 1,000 in a group of 10,000 people tested actually carry the coronavirus, then at least 50 of these infected people could incorrectly get a negative result in the self-test. They assume that they are not infected – and thus possibly infect other people.
Even when done correctly, it is “just less likely” to be contagious, according to the RKI. In addition, the informative value is limited in time – the result can be different the next day. Therefore, a negative result is not a free ticket to disregard the Corona rules.
Of the 9,000 non-infected people in the example group, around 180 received a false positive result with a specificity of 98 percent. Until the result of the PCR test, they assume that they are infected and can infect others. That can cause frustration.
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