FEARS OVER ACCURACY OF TOP-FLIGHT TEST RESULTS

THE company overseeing the testing of Premier League players for coronavirus has sought to assuage concerns after it was revealed its results are not 100 per cent reliable. Hong Kong-based biotechnology firm Prenetics will carry out around 800 tests, twice a week, during Project Restart. Players and staff will have a swab taken from the back of their throat and another from their nose before samples are sent for analysis. Prenetics chief executive Avi Lasarow confirmed to

Sportsmail that their tests are 98.8 per cent accurate — in line with those conducted by the NHS. That means of every 800 tests, on average around 10 tests would return false results. ‘If you start to run samples twice within the same window, obviously the accuracy is enhanced,’ said Lasarow. Based on Prenetics’ analysis, the chances of a single person returning inaccurate results twice in the same week is nearly 7,000 to one. Across the top flight, though, the probability of at least one player or staff member providing two consecutive false negatives or positives is around 11 per cent a week — every week. ‘Since the beginning of NHS testing, our consortium and partners have been performing these same tests on patients and healthcare staff around hospitals,’ added Lasarow. ‘The laboratory element of the testing programme is overseen by consultants who have many years of experience in virology, diagnostic testing and treatment of virology patients. We should take confidence in that.’ One potential problem is results can take 48 hours to come back.