WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump expressed no concerns Friday about a rapid coronavirus test that the White House has been relying on to ensure his safety, despite new data suggesting the test may return an inordinate share of false negatives.
Trump expressed his confidence in the test from Abbott Laboratories after a preliminary study by New York University researchers reported problems with it.
The FDA warning came a day after New York University researchers reported results suggesting Abbott’s test can miss up to half the infections caught by a rival test made by Cepheid.
The researchers found that Abbott’s test, run on the company’s portable ID NOW system, missed one-third of the infections caught by Cepheid’s test when swabs were stored in liquid used to transport laboratory samples.
Federal contracting data show the White House spent $140,666 on the Abbott rapid test kits in April.
