3 ms·
Do tests test for the RNA or the live virus?
by thinkingemote 6y ago
Do tests test for the RNA or the live virus?
- westwing 6y agoThe PCR test amplifies RNA fragments. If after a certain amount of replication cycles the amount of detected RNA crosses a threshold, it is considered a positive. A positive PCR test does not imply infectiousness. Many people who have a positive test are not just asymptomatic, they are not really infected to begin with. A negative PCR test does not rule out disease. Some people who have a clinical diagnosis of COVID may produce a negative PCR result.