When used in children, rapid antigen tests for detecting the coronavirus do not meet accuracy criteria set by the World Health Organization and U.S. and UK device regulators, according to researchers who reviewed 17 studies of the tests.
The trials evaluated six brands of tests in more than 6,300 children and teenagers through May 2021. In all but one study, the tests were administered by trained workers.
Overall, compared to PCR tests, the antigen tests failed to detect the virus in 36% of infected children, the researchers reported in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine . Among children with symptoms, it missed 28% of infections. Among infected kids without symptoms, the tests missed the virus in 44%. Only about 1% of the time did the tests mistakenly diagnose the virus in a child who was not actually infected.
Given that more than 500 antigen tests are available in Europe alone, the authors said, “the performance of most antigen tests under real-life conditions remains unknown.” But the new findings “cast doubt on the effectiveness” of rapid antigen tests for widespread testing in schools, they concluded.
Photo – A COVID-19 rapid antigene self-test. EPA-EFE/PHILIPP GUELLAND
The Trump administration is planning to tell NATO allies this week that it will shrink the pool of military capabilities that the U.S. would have available to assist the alliance's Eur...
A rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is intensifying international concern as deaths rise, infections spread into new areas and health authorities scr...
Morning Briefing
Full-time and part-time jobs continue to rise – NSO
Full-time employment in Malta increased by 4.8% in December 2025 compared with the previous year, while part-ti...
Updated 1015
Public Sector Engineers Warn Infrastructure at Risk Without Reform: Malta’s public sector architects and engineers say infrastructure and long-term national plans are at ...
Former Polish president and anti-communist icon Lech Wałęsa was among the first recipients of the newly established European Order of Merit, receiving the EU’s highest distinction during...
The European Parliament has thrown its weight behind demands for a bigger long-term EU budget, approving its position for negotiations on the bloc’s next seven-year financial framework f...
The privatization process for SAC, the company that manages the airports of Catania and Comiso, has reached a critical stage, with the outcome of expressions of interest expected in earl...
Microsoft is shopping for artificial-intelligence startups as the software company prepares for a future independent of its once-vital partner OpenAI, five people familiar with the matt...
“A company’s workplace culture praised by management, needs to be taken with caution. But when the recognition comes directly from employees, that carries greater weight,” says JONATHAN ...
EU lawmakers have approved new rules aimed at strengthening how failing banks are managed, extending protections to a wider range of institutions and depositors across the bloc.
The p...
The regeneration project of Birgu’s main square by Studjurban completed last year, gained further international attention with a Special Mention award at the internationally recognised A...
Malta Public Transport has launched a new digital signage system across key transport hubs in Malta and Gozo, providing passengers with real-time travel information. The system has been ...
The United States launched what it described as “self-defense” strikes against Iranian military targets after three US Navy destroyers came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, sharply ...
French shipping giant CMA CGM reported that its vessel San Antonio was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, leaving several crew members injured and the ship damaged. The...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Russia was seeking to draw Belarus deeper into its war in Ukraine and was weighing plans to attack Ukraine's north or a NATO country from Belarus...
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have named former presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak as a suspect in a major graft investigation involving alleged money laundering.
Accor...
