Yes, if the DNA target is present, it will be replicated. If it is not, it will not. The point is to see whether that happens (positive result) or not (negati

Yes, if the DNA target is present, it will be replicated. If it is not, it will not. The point is to see whether that happens (positive result) or not (negative result). If, after PCR, there is a shitload of viral DNA in your assay, you know the virus was present in the sample. You compare assays between pre and post PCR samples to determine this. The difference between a shitload and a bigger shitload reflects cycle count but not the nature of the result.