To the editor:
With COVID-19 apparently spiking with an increase in testing, I came across some news articles in my reading that didnât totally surprise me considering my skeptical and critical nature.
At question is the diagnostic or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test that is the standard for detecting the Coronavirus. The uncomfortable test is binary. A person is either positive or negative â it does not state how contagious that person may be.
As the New York Times states, âThe PCR test amplifies genetic matter from the virus in cycles or Cycle Threshold (CT); the fewer cycles required, the greater the amount of virus, or viral load, in the sample. The greater the viral load, the more likely the patient is to be contagious.â