PCR is highly accurate at detecting its base pair targets present in SARS CoV 2.
The problem is that the clinical virology and natural history of the infection are poorly understood.
Antigen testing in the clinical setting is more useful.
“PCR is highly accurate at detecting its base pair targets present in SARS CoV 2.”
As someone who has spent time developing novel tests for detection of biothreat agents, I can tell you that a test is only useful if it is specific for the target. If it reacts to similar organisms or molecules, it will give a false positive result. The covid PCR test was garbage as it gave false positives with other common viruses, especially when they ran too many cycles. It’s as if they wanted to as many positive reactions as positive.
First responders would rather have false Negatives than false positives, because false positives trigger panic and all sorts of response requirements that waste time and resources.
Thank you so much for your insights on this.