Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

October 2, 2020

Effectiveness of Tests to Detect the Presence of SARS-CoV-2 Virus, and Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, to Inform COVID-19 Diagnosis: A Rapid Systematic Review

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  • A rapid systematic review of both SARS-CoV-2 virus and antibody testing found a sensitivity of 87.8% for an initial RT-PCR test, while sensitivity of antibody tests ranged from 18.4% to 96.1% and specificity ranged from 88.9% to 100%. The authors note that estimates of diagnostic accuracy should be interpreted cautiously due to the lack of a clear reference standard to diagnose or rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, the authors found high or unclear risks of bias in the majority of studies, due to unclear methods of patient selection and testing or use of a reference standard that may not definitively diagnose COVID−19.

Jarrom et al. (Oct 1, 2020). Effectiveness of Tests to Detect the Presence of SARS-CoV-2 Virus, and Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, to Inform COVID-19 Diagnosis: A Rapid Systematic Review. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2020-111511