SCOTLAND’S national clinical director has admitted the coronavirus tests are “a bit rubbish”.
Jason Leitch has suggested that the “antigen” tests – are not fully reliable as they can give positive results to people who are not infectious.
It comes as a leading statistician said that thousands of people could be unnecessarily told to isolate under the Government’s ambitious mass coronavirus testing proposals, as a Cabinet minister admitted the technology for the plan does not yet exist.
Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter said the “huge danger” with Boris Johnson’s Operation Moonshot project – which would see millions of UK-wide tests carried out daily – was that there would be a “very large number of false positives”.
Speaking in a web Q&A for members of the business body FSB Scotland, Mr Leitch was asked about the different kinds of coronavirus tests available, and if businesses might be able to rapidly test workers to check if they have Covid-19.
He replied: “Yes, I think that will come. The science is not ready for that yet. I think a number of things will happen.
“Remember, the first, the most important test we’re doing just now is the antigen test – looking for virus.
Read more: Video: Scotland health chief’s ‘astonishing’ admission – Coronavirus tests are “a bit rubbish”
