PBA says referee may be a case of 'false positive' after negative result on antigen test

The referee who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) inside the PBA bubble may be a case of "false positive," the league said on Wednesday.

In a joint statement with the Clark Development Corporation and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, the PBA said the game official had a negative result on the antigen test.

Earlier, the league announced that the referee tested positive on the mandatory swab testing required for bubble delegates.

According to the Department of Health, however, the RT-PCR swab test is needed to confirm a negative result from an antigen test, and not the other way around. 

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said per the DOH's Omnibus Guidelines, the antigen test is only recommended for people with COVID-19 symptoms, close contacts of a positive individual in an area with an outbreak, or health workers routinely exposed to COVID-19 patients.

The PBA said the referee remains to be asymptomatic.

The game official has been placed under a 14-day quarantine at the Athletes' Village in New Clark City. He will undergo another RT-PCR test to confirm the negative antigen result. —MGP, GMA News