Diagnostic Sensitivity of Nasopharyngeal RT-PCR in a Long-Term Care Home Outbreak

Since its emergence in late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread across the world with unprecedented impacts globally. The mainstay of diagnosis remains reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); however, uncertainty remains about the sensitivity of these tests, as was recently outlined by Woloshin et al.1 Only 1 study has used a clinical gold standard to determine a sensitivity of only 66%.2 As a result, many have adopted policies of serial testing, even in low- to moderate-risk patients, potentially leading to delays in care.