David Wohl, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, explained to WRAL News how false negative tests for COVID-19 can occur, and “suggests waiting at least five days or so after exposure before getting tested to be sure and so the end result isn’t a false negative test result.”
Wohl also recognized that time is needed for the virus to grow, and “if you get tested too soon, the virus will not be detected — resulting in a negative test.”
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