What if I test positive and it's false?

[Cinnamon2]

If I were to test positive and it's false can I take another test and if it's negative, can I cruise?  Asking for a friend . . . 

[firefly333]

29 minutes ago, Cinnamon2 said:

If I were to test positive and it's false can I take another test and if it's negative, can I cruise?  Asking for a friend . . . 

Just dont show the positive test, show the negative test to check in.

[ober134]

Why assume the positive test is false? Retest if needed.

[kym05]

Retake a Rapid and a PCR and if both negative show the most current test, better to be safe..

[2Shoes2Go]

Been there. Took two more rapids and a PCR; all negative. But, didn’t lie and didn’t sail. Carnival moved all three cruises booked, out, with no loss.

[heidiatmn1]

2 hours ago, Cinnamon2 said:

If I were to test positive and it's false can I take another test and if it's negative, can I cruise?  Asking for a friend . . . 

A co worker had this happen and she went. She did go to her family DR and got his ok and did multiple negative test (PCR and rapid) to make sure she truly was negative. Her family DR said false positives are rare and she was the first he'd seen and most likely the pharmacy cross contaminated her test with someone else.

[BlerkOne]

If you test positive within 10 days of the cruise and have integrity you will answer the health questionnaire honestly. False negatives are far more likely than false positives. 

[klfrodo]

What if???

[silversneakers]

4 hours ago, Cinnamon2 said:

If I were to test positive and it's false can I take another test and if it's negative, can I cruise?  Asking for a friend . . . 

PCR to PCR test is the best way.  Rapids are not always accurate.  

[IntrepidFromDC]

4 hours ago, ober134 said:

Why assume the positive test is false? 

I don't think it's an assumption but rather a suspicion, given what WHO, CDC and FDA have said about the possibility of false positives...

 

Source: Potential for False Positive Results with Antigen Tests for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 - Letter to Clinical Laboratory Staff and Health Care Providers | FDA

 

"Consider the CDC's recommendations when using antigen testing... Remember that positive predictive value (PPV) varies with disease prevalence when interpreting results from diagnostic tests. PPV is the percent of positive test results that are true positives. 

 

For example, a test with 98% specificity would have a PPV of just over 80% in a population with 10% prevalence, meaning 20 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.

The same test would only have a PPV of approximately 30% in a population with 1% prevalence, meaning 70 out of 100 positive results would be false positives.  This means that, in a population with 1% prevalence, only 30% of individuals with positive test results actually have the disease."

[valandemmy]

Health care provider here...

Although I am a firm believer that a positive is a positive.  There are some false positives out there, but I would be more worried about the repeat "negative" test, being a false negative.  

There are so many different variables that come into play when doing one of the tests that it would be rather easy for a test to come back negative, falsely.  

 

TO BE COMPLETELY SAFE ___I would suggest getting a PCR test instead of the rapid antigen test.  

 

Polymer chain reaction (PCR) tests are typically performed in a laboratory or healthcare setting. Using a swab, you or a technician will collect a sample of cells from your nose, mouth, or throat.

 

After collection, the samples are treated with an enzyme solution and examined under extreme amplification (copied multiple times). The technique allows test centers to identify the exact genetic materials in the sample, including the identity of a specific virus. The test can also differentiate between different variants—or strains—of a virusSince the tests examine microscopic bits of a virus's genetic material, they are highly reliable—often close to 100%. The downfall to the process is the time that it takes and the fact that lab analysis is required to get results.43

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[Lee Cruiser]

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-12-29/cdc-director-defends-not-recommending-coronavirus-tests-in-updated-isolation-quarantine-guidance

 

Interesting comments from CDC director on the problems with both types of tests:

 

She said that PCR tests can turn up positive results for up to 12 weeks after infection, which is long past when a person is contagious. And she added that the agency doesn’t know if rapid at-home antigen tests “give a good indication of transmissibility at this stage of infection.”

[sanger727]

I believe there is a health questionnaire you are asked before you board asking if you have tested positive in the last two weeks. If you say yes, you will be refused boarding. So you would have to lie to get onboard. I wouldn’t. Since you have to test within 2 days of boarding, you will be short on time to have a bunch of re-tests and a pcr test. One positive and then one negative test isn’t sufficient to determine that you had a false positive.