The excerpt and article clearly state this work is computer modeling of the viral loads in real patients:
"The researchers used a computer model of COVID-19 in which varying viral loads in a population would result in differing rates of infectivity...The model made use of real data on the changing viral load in 30 patients assessed with PCR daily."The author does raise an interesting point, though, about the many studies of IVM:
"The plethora of observational studies prompted by the pandemic have a fatal design flaw; they did not control the initiation of treatment. As a result, the number of participants needed to show a statistically significant effect would be about 11,000. If a study were restricted to those treated within 24 hours, the necessary number of participants would decrease to 450."I would put controlling the initiation of treatment into the "nice to have" category. There is plenty of real world evidence (RC Trials and Observational Studies) that show it works.
” assessed with PCR daily”
PCR takes 7 days to get results.