They did 1,300 PCR tests on prison inmates in Tennessee?
So why isn't Dr. Richard Besser better informed? You would think if anyone was, it would be someone who has to go on national TV and not make a fool of himself.
We will eventually get the accurate story on this. Either Dr. Besser (and others who have said the same thing) are wrong, or the people doing these tests are wrong.
I believe that the prisons were tested for antibodies, not the PCR. The antibodies will naturally have some cross reactivity with other species. So there is not a lot to do about that — however the actual dx of active disease (hospital) will utilize PCR which grow the specific genetics and we have mapped CoVID 19 — which means that it is specific to this disease.
I am assuming that the prisons engaged in antibody testing, however I could be wrong and I stand to be corrected.