A Retrospective Look at Covid-19 Testing Performance

In this research paper, we analyzed the sensitivity (the likelihood that those with the disease will test positive), specificity (the likelihood that those without the disease will test negative), and prevalence values of the Covid-19 testing procedures. We use a set of different sensitivity and specificity values with a reasonable range of prevalence values to evaluate the test's performance in terms of positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). The disease prevalence has a significant impact on the sensitivity and specificity values necessary for high PPV and NPV. With a prevalence of less than 0.01, it would be unrealistic to require a specificity value high enough to achieve a strong PPV.