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That might be true about the accuracy of the other tests, but it's not the reason the CDC created their own. The reason, as I understand it, is simply that ther
by makomk 7y ago
That might be true about the accuracy of the other tests, but it's not the reason the CDC created their own. The reason, as I understand it, is simply that there was no WHO test when they started and there never would be unless some country got up off their ass and made one. As it happens Germany got their test finished first and the WHO used that, but the CDC were already well down the path of preparing and qualifying their own test for US use by that point and switching to the WHO one would mean abandoning that work and starting again.
- zaroth 7y agoThe CDC appears to have made an over complicated test with the goal of being able to identify other SARS viruses beyond just COVID and screwed up the reagents in the process. I’m not aware of evidence that the CDC designed primers are any better, and have read anecdotal evidence that they fail basic QA tests in open source design software used for this sort of thing. This was compounded by bad regulations which hamstrung local labs from doing their own testing.
- stewbrew 7y agoAre you certain this wasn't some form of NIH syndrome? I don't think the German test was any more inaccurate BTW.