Opinion: Quality issues may be the stumbling block in the race for contact tracing apps
The world is in a rush to find ways to fight Covid-19. This urgency makes sense for a pandemic that has killed more than a half-million people since it began in late December. But if the quality of these solutions is subpar, then users may turn away not only from these faulty solutions but may lose confidence in broader efforts and scientific development to combat Covid-19, putting public health at significant risk.
Take the more than 100 coronavirus tests the Food and Drug Administration has rushed to approve as a potential solution to the pandemic. Some fail to identify up to 20% of coronavirus cases. Antibody tests, designed to detect whether an individual has developed antibodies in response to a coronavirus infection, are even less accurate: Up to half of people who test positive don’t actually have the antibodies.
