In the wake of a federal report warning of false-negative results, use of curative COVID-19 PCR testing is being discontinued at Los Angeles County-supported pop-up testing sites, the Department of Health said in a statement Sunday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that Curative’s tests may produce false negative results.
Mayor Eric Garcetti defended the tests on Thursday, ahead of the county announcement.
According to the county, Curative delivered a limited number of tests at pop-up test sites as of mid-December, accounting for 10% of LA County’s tests conducted during the time frame.
The department warned that all tests carry a risk of false negative results and urged residents who test negative to continue to isolate themselves for 14 days after exposure or 10 days after the onset of symptoms.
“There is no reliable way to detect early infection, which means the infection often spreads before symptoms develop,” the county said in the statement. “Nonetheless, PCR tests, including the curative test, remain better at detecting disease than other tests, including rapid tests.”