Does More Testing For Corona Virus Mean More Positive Tests?

[dave50]

If more and more testing is being carried out, wouldn't this account for the continual rise in the number of positive tests, or am I missing something? Apologies if this has been asked before.

[New Judge]

Of course it would.

[MartinMillar]

Well yes and no because once found positive you are supposed to isolate
In order for you not to spread it around and increase the number further

[sherrardk]

Prepare for huge jump in cases during the week of 4 January when they are ‘planning’ on testing all secondary and sixth form students.

[SpocksBrain]

yes, I think that is a statistically accurate statement.

[woofgang]

yes and no...the actual raw number will go up with more testing but the number of positive tests per thousand tests done or per thousand of local population won't go up unless the actual rate of infection rises.

[Maydup]

It will indeed, but the new variant is now out of control hence the huge number of new cases every day.

[dave50]

The BBC news every day gives a figure of the number of positive tests for the day but it should be as proportion of the number tests carried out.

[New Judge]

//It will indeed, but the new variant is now out of control...//

And was the "old" variant under control?

[Maydup]

No NJ, but the new variant is spreading more rapidly.

[Sqad]

Nj no it wasn't but it has been replaced by another virus that's equally out of control BUT spreads faster.

[Deskdiary]

“Out of control”

I’d stop believing everything you read if I were you.

[ichkeria]

More simply, there are twice as many positive tests as this time last week.
Were there twice as many tests? Unlikely.
It isn't really the number of positive cases per se that is the concern, but the implications for a consequent rise in serious cases

[bobbinwales]

Yes, as others have said in diffrent ways its a factor but the percent increase in cases is far higher than the percent increase in tests. And certainly the massive rise in the number of deaths and corona hospitals bed cases isnt just down to more testing

[bobbinwales]

Yes squad, stop falling for all the goverment and scientist lies as part of the agenda 21 led by Bill Gates and co. Am sure deskdiary has some figure theyll give us that show the virus is not really out of control and is really just in line with the normal flue

[jim360]

Data on testing is available at coronavirus.data.gov.uk -- this will answer your question. Not directly, because, of course, the Government hasn't thought to process this data in the way you suggest directly in an easy-to-read graph; but, by considering the cases graph and the tests graph, you should see that the recent spike is not at all explained by testing capacity, which has been fairly consistent for the last couple of months at a 7-day rolling average of not more than 340,000 tests per day.

[Peter Pedant]

very clear Jim thanks

Trump certainly believes so ( starp testing ! ) amid cries of approval - echoed I see by a few here

If you test a thousand you may well get 10 positive ( prevalence around 1%) and then another thousand and another 10

and half of AB scream ( there are a few screamers on AB) ten plus ten - is twenty and so it has doubled

but twenty in 2000 is still 1%

and yes we had all this in March
and covid = flue
and covid, what covid
and covid is something else but spelt covid
and lets do nothing (see above) like sweden and nothing will happen
and it just goes arn an arn nothing ever changing and nothing ever learnt