'Positive to Negative' Gwangju Middle and High School Students, First Positive Test Confirmed Again... "Further Review Needed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] On the 13th, the quarantine authorities stated that further review is needed regarding the cases of two middle and high school students in the Gwangju area who tested positive in the initial test for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) but tested negative in the retest.

They explained that the first test itself was indeed positive as initially reported, but further examination is required concerning the negative result in the retest.

At a briefing, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), said, "In the case of the two middle and high school students in Gwangju, the positive result was reconfirmed after testing the same specimen again," adding, "We are reviewing the part where the result turned negative after some time."

The two students are a first-year student at Gwangju Yudeok Middle School and a second-year student at Daekwang Girls' High School. They underwent COVID-19 testing three times, with results of positive, negative, and negative.

However, the quarantine authorities drew a line, stating that the reliability of the test itself is not shaken. Deputy Director Kwon explained, "There is no test on earth that is 100% sensitive and specific, so false positives inevitably occur," and added, "When setting criteria to estimate the cause in testing, if the scope is broadened to detect as many positives as possible, there are cases where negatives are not actually negatives."

He added, "When we say false positive, it may sound like there is a problem with the reagent or experimental system, but it could be the standard of the test or a misinterpretation occurring occasionally during the testing process."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.