Elon Musk is dumbfounded … after taking 4 coronavirus tests that triggered split results, he — like many others — is questioning the trustworthiness of some tests.
The Tesla/SpaceX honcho said Thursday night, “something extremely bogus is going on” after his 4 rapid tests resulted in two negative and two positive results. He said he used the same machine, the same test and the same nurse.
He also said he used a rapid antigen test from the medical tech company Becton Dickinson and Co.
Elon said he’s also waiting for results from 2 PCR tests (nasal swabs) but won’t know for about 24 hours. The antigen tests Elon took are conducted quickly and often administered in hotspots like college campuses or elderly facility … whereas the PCR tests are more expensive and conducted at labs.
According to the CDC … PCR testing is considered the “gold standard” for clinical diagnostic detection of COVID. It says this is why it may be necessary to confirm a rapid antigen test result with a PCR test, which is what Elon’s doing.
Still, the CDC does say rapid testing is “generally reliable” (84.0%-97.6%), but if you take it more than 5 days after your first symptoms you could run into false negatives … a la Elon.
As for his immediate health — he says he’s experiencing symptoms similar to a cold “but nothing unusual so far.”
It’s worth noting … Elon in the past has cast doubt on the virus itself … from claiming doctors inflated case numbers for financial reasons and calling shelter-in-place orders “fascist” to claiming back in March there’d be “close to zero new cases” by the end of April.
On Thursday alone, there were more than 160,000 cases reported with over 1,100 deaths.