MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th October, 2020) The World Health Organization (WHO) warned people on Monday against relying too much on their negative COVID-19 test when making a decision to go out and determining own behavior.
"I'm certainly full aware that people are using a single test as a reason to go out and party but if they are going it's very, very short-sighted and, quite frankly, very silly and very dangerous," Michael Ryan, the executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, told a virtual briefing.
He explained that a negative test was not a guarantee.
"The testing we have right now � be it PCR-based testing or antigen testing � it tells you whether you have effectively got the virus in your body or not, in other words, whether or not you have an active infection. It tells you nothing about your future risk ... You can be positive the next day based on an exposure you had a week ago," Ryan said.
So, "to base your activities or your behavior on that is frankly a dangerous thing to do," as one risks bringing disease home or to their friends by attending social gatherings or a church, the WHO official concluded.
