Testing for coronavirus: Is one test enough?

Abstract

Riccio examines whether one test is enough in the COVID-19 pandemic It is now generally recognized that testing is critical to beating the novel coronavirus, for designing policies with long lasting effects, and allowing for the safe opening of our economy Beyond the general public health aspects of testing, most people want to know answers to several key questions No test is perfect There is always the possibility of someone without the virus testing positive, called a false positive, and there is always the possibility of someone with the virus testing negative, called a false negative The two probabilities are not only most often not equal, but they are also not necessarily related One can be high and the other low, or they both may be high or both may be low