What Happens If a COVID-19 Test Returns False-Positive?

On on Aug. 1, Detriot Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford created headlines around the nation, as he tested positive for COVID-19.

Three days later on Aug. 4, it was found out that Stafford tested false-positive for COVID-19. He was immediately reactivated.

This made me wonder ... what should happen if a COVID-19 test returns false-positive?

First, let’s look at what went wrong.

Outside of the obvious fact that the test returned false-positive, it was the issue that Stafford had to wait two full days to take two COVID-19 tests. Each test had to be taken 24 hours apart before he could be cleared to join the team again.

What would have happened had this taken place on a game day during the season? The Lions would have been without their starting quarterback, through no one’s fault.

Detroit would have had a disadvantage on the field simply because a COVID-19 test returned as false-positive.

A false-positive has off-field implications as well.

As soon as Stafford’s test came back, his wife Kelly and their kids also tested for COVID-19. Kelly and the kids’ tests returned negative.

Yet, while dealing with the fact that her husband had COVID-19, she said her experience was “somewhat of a nightmare” on her Instagram page.

Although this isn’t on the football field itself, this can have many implications for a football player.

So how did the league respond to this mess?

On Aug. 7, the NFL sent out a memo changing its COVID-19 testing protocol.

The new protocol has players who test positive and are asymptomatic to undergo two confirmatory nasal tests the following day.

If both nasal tests return negative, the player is considered to not have COVID-19.

According to the memo, the player, “may resume all normal activity including access to the field.”

This adjustment covers the issue with Stafford’s example. This protocol will attempt to confirm a positive COVID-19 test on the next day, to prove that the test from the day before wasn’t a false-positive.

The NFL responded quickly to what happened to Stafford to try to fix the issue the previous protocol had.

And for Stafford, he was glad this happened before the regular season.

"I'm glad that it happened to me at this point and the league is doing what they can to try and change and make sure it doesn't happen again," Stafford said via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Ultimately, if a player tests positive, the player will undergo two tests the following day to confirm if the original test came back false-positive. Hopefully, this system will hold up as the season approaches.

Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

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