Cambridge University screening programme
Another graphic illustration of how unreliable PCR tests are can be found from studying the results of the Cambridge University (CU) Covid-19 asymptomatic screening programme. The results of this programme
have been published by CU. CU do at least have the very sensible policy of double testing any positive result so as to try and be more certain that it is a true positive.
Their results are very revealing.
Since October, 18% of the positive PCR test results turned out to be false positives. Alarmingly, in the most recent week of results, it has turned out that every single one of the 11 of positive PCR test results turned out to be false positives – a failure rate for 100% for the PCR positive results.
According to the CU website, these tests have been carried out at a laboratory which is one of the networks of so-called “Lighthouse laboratories” (“Lighthouse labs”). The public would assume that such a lab would be staffed with experienced and trained personnel in what is, as far as we are aware, a purpose designed facility equipped specifically to conduct this testing programme. Yet they still failed miserably to produce correct results. This was not the first week of the CU programme to show a significant false positive rate. At the very least such a disastrous result and previous weeks’ results suggests considerable inconsistencies in the conduct of the tests or inherent in the very nature of the PCR tests themselves.
At least in the case of the CU false positives, the occupants of the 11 households concerned were given the all clear after confirmatory tests were conducted. But had it not been for those confirmatory tests, all of the occupants of those 11 households would have been forced to needlessly self-isolate for 14 days – for no good reason.
If we extrapolate the results from the CU programme to the PCR results returned nationwide using other Lighthouse Labs, including those which may have even less stringent controls and less well trained staff, it suggests that not only are very large numbers of people being wrongly diagnosed as infected with Covid-19, but even greater numbers of people through contact tracing are being wrongly forced – on penalty of huge fines – to self -isolate on a false basis. For those who cannot work from home, this can be devastating. The knock-on effects for the economy do not bear thinking about.
The false positives issue will also feed through into how people are dealt with in healthcare settings. For example, patients admitted to hospital may be wrongly diagnosed as Covid-positive and cohorted with Covid-infected patients. We know that hospital acquired Covid infections are a serious problem.
The false positives will also affect the statistics for the numbers of supposedly Covid-infected patients being admitted to hospitals as well as to the figures for deaths recorded as being attributable to Covid.