COVID-19 May Mean Elon Musk Cannot Make It To SpaceX NASA Astronaut Launch

• Elon Musk said on Twitter that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
• However, the Musk rapid test used is less reliable than the other types. He obtained two positive and two negative results.
• Still, his positive test could prevent Musk from attending the launch of SpaceX’s Crew-1 mission on Sunday, according to NASA rules.
• Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

Elon Musk said on Twitter Thursday evening that he had tested positive for COVID-19 according to a rapid test.

“Mild sniffles and cough and mild fever these past few days,” Musk tweeted Friday morning. “At this time, no symptoms, although I took NyQuil.”

But Musk also noted that two of the same rapid tests carried out on the same day came back negative. A more precise diagnostic test is needed to confirm he has the coronavirus, but the timing couldn’t be worse.

SpaceX, the Musk rocket company founded in 2002, is expected to put four NASA astronauts into orbit on Sunday. The flight to the International Space Station will be SpaceX’s first operational human spaceflight mission for NASA; the astronauts are expected to spend six months in space, which would also make the mission the longest space flight ever launched from the United States.

However, NASA protocols mean Musk may not be allowed into the premises of the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., For the launch of the mission, called Crew-1. Takeoff is scheduled for Sunday at 7:27 p.m. ET; it was postponed from Saturday evening because of the weather.

SpaceX

NASA’s rules for employees state that anyone with a fever, cough, or positive test result is expected to “stay or go home and immediately” and be “symptom-free” before asking a supervisor to return. .

“Your supervisor will consult with medical staff at the center to determine when it is safe to return to work,” NASA rules say.

Antigen tests are less accurate than other tests

The test used by Musk, BD’s Veritor system for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2, looks for antigens: pieces of protein on or in the virus. The test, according to the BD website, provides results in 15 minutes.

In contrast, PCR tests do a more thorough search for the genetic code of the virus, which is why it often takes days to get results. PCR tests “would be pretty close to 100% accurate” if performed correctly, Dr. Emily Volk, assistant professor of pathology at the University of Texas-Health in San Antonio, told Healthline.

The problem with speeding up the process is that many rapid antigen-based COVID-19 tests can only detect around 70% to 80% of infections and can produce false negatives. The Food and Drug Administration cautions that negative results from rapid tests may need to be confirmed with a lab test, and the CDC says the tests are “generally less sensitive than viral tests.”

Smith / Gado / Getty Images Collection

In clinical trials, BD’s test had a false negativity rate of around 16% but gave no false positives, according to Fierce Biotech. But the company has since reported several false positive results from tests performed in nursing homes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Musk tweeted that he was undergoing a PCR test, the results of which would come back within 24 hours.

‘Please isolate while awaiting results’

Due to Musk’s positive result, he should self-isolate for the safety of others, according to Dr. Yukari Manabe, an infectious disease researcher at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“No test is perfect. Since Mr. Musk was symptomatic and had equivocal results, he should seek a molecular test and self-isolate,” Manabe told Business Insider. “In addition, it should be screened for other respiratory pathogens.”

Angie Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University, also pointed out on Twitter that Musk should stay away from others until his PCR test results come back.

“Since you are symptomatic, please isolate while awaiting the results of your PCR test, which has a very low false positive rate”, Rasmussen tweeted friday.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s question about whether Musk will attend the launch.

Bridenstine said NASA may not let Musk attend the launch

NASA / Bill Ingalls

At a press conference at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine did not directly confirm whether or not Musk would be allowed to enter the Kennedy Space Center launch control building to observe the mission. . He did indicate, however, that Musk would likely not be present.

“I’ll tell you, when someone tests positive for COVID, here at Kennedy Space Center and across NASA, it’s our policy for that person to quarantine and self-isolate,” he says. “So we anticipate that will take place.”

Bridenstine added that the agency “is looking to SpaceX for any appropriate contact tracing.”