False positive covid test, grounds for complaint?

[WallaceandGromit]

A lad who my boyfriend works with tested positive last weekend. No symptoms but had a test before being admitted to hospital for his varicose veins removing! So his whole family have been worried sick, his twin boys have had to stay off school which has been very disruptive since they're in Yr 11 and he's self employed so has lost a week's work with no pay.
He apparently had a call yesterday saying that the swab had been checked again and it was a false positive. The family are understandably pleased he doesn't actually have covid but also angry at all the disruption for nothing. Has this happened to anyone else? They want to complain.

Written proof? Yes always (or sent digitally). Test results are never given by word of mouth.

Wallace. There are something like 1500 false positives a day. It is such a problem that the government issued guidance about re testing. It is especually an issue for people who are being tested without symptoms.

@AuntyPasta

Why is it always twins?

Like clockwork man

www.gov.uk/government/publications/sars-cov-2-rna-testing-assurance-of-positive-results-during-periods-of-low-prevalence/assurance-of-sars-cov-2-rna-positive-results-during-periods-of-low-prevalence
For all those disbelievers up thread

He had a call yesterday and the swab has been checked again and is a false positive

This is what people are struggling to believe. It doesn't happen. I don't think anyone is questioning the fact that the test (like most diagnostics) has a percentage of false positives.

Smileyclaire Not sure about an actual call but read the government link above and you'll see that not only does it happen, but it should happen

Most likely somebody misreported the initial result, or, somebody misread the report, or worse somebody else's report.

If the story they've been given is correct 'the swab was retested' I'd be asking for them to provide the results of both tests - should have the same sample identifier - if they can, then fair enough, if they can't, I would complain, RE my initial explanation.

He was going in for hospital treatment so this would Pillar 1.

Excerpt from the link above

"Positive test results at the limit of detection – Pillar 1 Laboratories
Retest existing sample in the same or an alternate nucleic acid amplification assay of equivalent sensitivity and specificity. If necessary, request a repeat sample. Subjects should be advised to self isolate pending the results of the repeat or retested sample."

Fixthebone It's a problem inherent with PCR tests and the number of amplifications. Not human error. 1500 or more positives every single day are actually false positives. This is based on 0.7% of 200000 tests a day. There's still not absolute agreement on the percentage, but 0.7 has bee mentioned by MH.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/sars-cov-2-rna-testing-assurance-of-positive-results-during-periods-of-low-prevalence/assurance-of-sars-cov-2-rna-positive-results-during-periods-of-low-prevalence

@fixthebone This is a useful paper for Sage. Explains it well.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/gos-impact-of-false-positives-and-negatives-3-june-2020

Test and trace told me a positive always trumps a negative so if you have two tests done close together each one having a different result you always go off the positive result so two differing results off one swab he’d still be expected to isolate as though he has it.

Yes it's possible he would be asked to do a repeat test. It's possible to get an inconclusive or void test or a small chance of a false positive has been identified.

Retesting a sample several days (or a week in this story) after it was taken wouldn't happen. There would be no live virus cells on a swab after that period of time.

It doesn't ring true.

It happens. Move on.

Glittery unicorn Not according to gov.uk document linked above.

Something seems off. But like all tests sometimes there are false positives. Like pregnancy tests. I can’t believe that a family would actually complain about it tbh. Sounds like they are after compo. Seriously wonder about people.

The sensible thing would be to ask the guy for a screen shot of his negative test results wouldn't it? If your bf has been working with him?
He will have been given written proof.