How the UQ coronavirus vaccine induced false-positive HIV test results and why scientists were prepared

The much-touted University of Queensland-CSL coronavirus vaccine is being abandoned because people who get it return false-positive results for HIV, leaving the team behind the work “devastated” and the public disappointed.

It is crucial to note the HIV test results are all false positives: the people who got the vaccine do not have HIV.

In fact, they have no health consequences at all.

Instead, the vaccine causes the body to produce chemicals that confuse some HIV tests.

A widespread rollout of the vaccine could create problems for HIV screening because people who have received the vaccine may not be able to trust the standard HIV test.

UQ and CSL say the problem could probably have been solved — either the vaccine or HIV tests could be…