40 million positive test results: Which may or may not be cases as many are not exhibiting symptoms You misunderstand the problem with PCR tests. The problem isn't false positives in the sense you didn't have COVID, the problem is that you still test positive for weeks or months after you had it. PCR tests are bad for determining whether you are contagious, but they are good for determining the total count of cases. If you had an asymptomatic or small COVID cases, it is still a case, and lucky for that person, now have immunity.
No, I disagree, it is not a case until a positive test is confirmed by another sort of test or symptom, which in the great number of positive results are not happening. For example, I had a sonogram of my abodomen that showed a spot or abnormality near my bladder. My doctor then sent me for a cat scan with contrast to confirm the diagnostic finding. Thank God it came back with a negative result and it was chalked up to an artifact. This was 5+ years ago. It was never considered a case of bladder cancer/abnormality/infection or whatever as I had no other supporting tests or symptoms. Another example, my daughter goes to the pediatrician, gets a swab of her throat as it is suspected it is strep. It comes back positive AND there are symptoms in her mouth and throat visible to the doctor it is strep. If there are not any symptoms the doctor may suspect it is strep but cannot confirm it so he has a decision to make but it cannot be tallied as strep.
PCR was never meant to be a test for pathogens as per the creator of the test has stated in the past. If the cycles are too high, which they were, you can get a positive hit on anything you are looking for. It's like running a blank piece of paper thru a copy machine 40+ times - it is going to come up with spots and shadows eventually.