Following a federal report warning of negative results, the use of COVID-19 PCR curative tests is discontinued at Los Angeles County-held pop-up testing sites, the Department of Health said Sunday.
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued an alert that curative tests could provide negative results.
Mayor Eric Garcetti defended the tests on Thursday, before announcing the county.
According to the county, Curative has provided a limited number of tests at pop-up testing sites since mid-December, accounting for 10 percent of LA County tests administered over time.
The department warned that all tests presented a risk of false-negative results and asked residents who tested negative to continue to isolate themselves for 14 days after exposure or 10 days after symptoms.
“There is no reliable way to detect the infection early, which means the infection often spreads before symptoms develop,” the county said in a statement. However, PCR tests, including the curative test, remain better at detecting the disease than other tests, including rapid tests.