PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Evaluation of the Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Test Ag Card for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection by a local public health district with a rural population.

  • Rachel E Pollreis,
  • Clay Roscoe,
  • Rachel J Phinney,
  • Surabhi S Malesha,
  • Matthew C Burns,
  • Aimee Ceniseros,
  • Charles H Washington,
  • Andrew J Nutting,
  • Christopher L Ball

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260862
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 12
p. e0260862

Abstract

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SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, the gold standard for diagnostic testing, may not be readily available or logistically applicable for routine COVID-19 testing in many rural communities in the United States. In this validation study, we compared the BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Test Ag Card with SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR in 214 participants who sought COVID-19 testing from a local public health district in Idaho, USA. The median age of participants was 35 and 82.7% were symptomatic. Thirty-seven participants (17.3%) had positive RT-PCR results. Results between the two tests were 94.4% concordant. The sensitivity of the BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Test Ag Card was 67.6% (95% CI: 50.2-81.9%), and the specificity was 100.0% (95% CI: 97.9-100.0%). The positive predictive value (PPV) for the BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Test Ag Card was 100.0% (95% CI: 86.2-100.0%), and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 93.6% (95% CI: 89.1-96.6%). Although the sensitivity of BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Test Ag Card was lower than RT-PCR, rapid results and high specificity support its use for early detection of COVID-19, especially in settings where SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing is not readily available. Rapid antigen tests, such as the BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Test Ag Card, may be a more convenient tool in quickly identifying and preventing COVID-19 transmission, especially in rural settings.