Evaluation of the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test at an Emergency Room in a Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Introduction: The performance characteristics of the Panbio COVID-19 Ag test were evaluated against RT-PCR - considered the gold-standard for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 - at an emergency room in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The study aimed to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive percent agreement (PPA), and negative percent agreement (NPA) as compared to RT-PCR. Methods: Specimens from 127 suspected patients were tested by both the Panbio COVID-19 Ag test and by RT-PCR. Results: Evaluation of the agreement between the Panbio COVID-19 Ag test and RT-PCR indicated an overall sensitivity of 84% (95%CI, 75-93.8%) and an overall specificity of 98% (95%CI, 96-98.8%). The Panbio COVID-19 Ag test showed 97% sensitivity and 99% NPA for subjects with Ct values [≤] 25 (N=37). Conclusion: The Panbio COVID-19 Ag test is suitable for use as a diagnostic test for the rapid screening of patients presenting COVID-19 symptoms, or those suspected with being infected, prior to being admitted to hospital.