What does "Test Sensitivity" mean?

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Test sensitivity refers to how well a test can correctly identify positive cases of a disease. In the context of COVID-19, it is important to know how accurately tests can detect the virus in people who have it.

When someone gets tested for COVID-19, test sensitivity tells us the likelihood that the test will return a positive result when the person is truly infected. A high sensitivity means that the test is good at finding infections, while a low sensitivity means that some infected people might receive a negative result even though they have the virus.

For example, a study conducted during the winter of 2023/2024 found that test sensitivity for COVID-19 varied based on factors like age and how long it had been since the person started showing symptoms. Younger people tended to have lower test sensitivity compared to older individuals, meaning tests might not pick up the virus in them as effectively as in older groups.

Understanding test sensitivity helps public health officials and doctors assess how reliable test results are and informs decisions on managing and responding to the spread of the virus.