DC Health Publishes Antigen Testing Guidance September 18, 2020
Written by MSDC Staff
On Thursday, the DC Department of Health (DC Health) published guidance on the use of antigen testing in an outpatient setting.
Despite its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration, some physicians (including MSDC's COVID-19 Task Force) have regarded antigen testing with suspicion due to its notable percentage of false negatives. The guidance, seen here, notes this and says the RT-PCR test remains the "gold standard" for diagnosing COVID-19.
The guidance states antigen tests are most effective early in infection and it should be used within 5-7 days of illness. The guidance also says antigen tests should be used to confirm an exposure not to discontinue isolation. If the antigen test comes up positive, no confirmatory testing is recommended and the patient should be considered positive for COVID-19. However, if the antigen test comes up negative, a RT-PCR test should be ordered to confirm the negative and the person being tested should quarantine as if they person tested positive.
For physicians, the guidance requires the testing site to report positive and negative tests to DC Health.