A 99.2% specificity refers to the analytical specificity, namely the lack of reaction to substances other than SARS Cov -2 RNA. It is the operational or clinical specificity that must be used to determine false positive occurrence. This value is always lower due to contamination and human error during sample collection and transport. Many studies indicate a clinical specificity range of 98 to 94%.

A 99.2% specificity refers to the analytical specificity, namely the lack of reaction to substances other than SARS Cov -2 RNA. It is the operational or clinical specificity that must be used to determine false positive occurrence. This value is always lower due to contamination and human error during sample collection and transport. Many studies indicate a clinical specificity range of 98 to 94%.

Thanks for the information, Tom. That underlines the error in the BBC report and makes my estimate at 97.4% seem reasonable.