Do Nasal Sprays Affect Covid Test?

Endogenous (e.g. blood) or exogenous (e.g. nasal spray ions, or chemicals that affect the pH of the test cassette) may impact on test performance, giving rise to false-positive results [10].

What are consequences of a false negative COVID-19 test?

Risks to a patient of a false negative test result include: delayed or lack of supportive treatment, lack of monitoring of infected individuals and their household or other close contacts for symptoms resulting in increased risk of spread of COVID-19 within the community, or other unintended adverse events.

Can COVID-19 antigen tests be false positive?

Despite the high specificity of antigen tests, false positive results will occur, especially when used in communities where the prevalence of infection is low – a circumstance that is true for all in vitro diagnostic tests.