Intended for healthcare professionals

Letters Covid-19 screening

Mass population screening for SARS-CoV-2 and false positives—why Liverpool shows we have a problem

BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4954 (Published 31 December 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4954
  1. David Cook, chief scientific officer
  1. Blueberry Therapeutics, Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, UK
  1. david.cook{at}blueberrytherapeutics.com

In The BMJ’s Editor’s Choice article published on 19 November,1 Abbasi details some of the problems associated with the UK’s proposed mass testing regime. Despite many concerns, not least the ethical issues raised,2 mass testing is now planned for the UK.

As Abbasi says, “Although the false positive rate [of the screen] is small, it is still a problem in a low prevalence setting.” The mass screening trial in Liverpool showed that only …

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