FALSE NEGATIVES PKG

At this point in the pandemic...you've probably gotten tested.

We both have...multiple times.

But what test did you take?

One has been proven less effective and a mount sterling woman wants you to know.

Abc 36's bobbi mcswine explains why.

####### bobbi: "diana bentley walked into this winchester urgent care three times to get tested for covid-19 - all three times the results came back negative.

She says she knew something was wrong."

"it's a little disturbing."

Bentley says she first got tested with her husband and daughter december 17th...after learning her daughter's boyfriend had coronavirus.

They all had a rapid test...her daughter testing positive...bentley and her husband... negative.

Diana: "i started feeling sick around the 20th."

So she went back to the urgent care clinic on the 22nd...only to get another negative result using rapid testing.

Diana: "by the 26th i felt terrible and i called the urgent treatment center and i said, 'i already know that i don't have covid, but i need to come in for a sick visit, i need to know what's wrong whether i need antibiotics."

Bentley says she was even more worried because she takes care of her elderly grandmother...and great aunt with alzheimers.

She went back to the clinic for the third time...and again..tested negative.

"she nicely dismissed me and i said, 'no, i want to know what's wrong.'" then, bentley remembered there's another kind of test.

The rapid tests bentley was getting are antigen tests that detect specific proteins from the virus.

After her third negative...bentley asked if she could do a p-c-r test...a molecular test that detects the virus' genetic material based on lab analysis of a nose or cheek swab.

Wednesday...she finally got the result she knew all along...positive.

"i feel like a lot of people are out there with the vitus that don't even know they have it."

Not only that...but she worries the false negatives encourage people to ignore their symptoms and not quarantine if they're sick.

"nobody wants to be responsible for giving somebody this who can't get over it.

Would just think of others and not themselves."

The c-d-c says rapid tests are mostly reliable...though proven less effective than p-c- r's.

In winchester...bobbi mcswine...abc 36 news.

####### there are 12 clinics in central kentucky that offer rapid testing.

For more information about the test...click on this story at w-t-v-q dot com.

#########