How does the COVID-19 PCR test work?

From Genome.gov “PCR Fact Sheet”: The Polymerase Chain Reaction test works by amplifying, or copying, DNA in order to test for it. It is also called “molecular photocopying”. PCR can also be used in a number of laboratory and clinical techniques, including DNA fingerprinting, detection of bacteria or viruses (particularly AIDS), and diagnosis of genetic disorders.

Problems with the PCR test

PCR only works on DNA, and the COVID-19 virus uses RNA as its genetic code. RNA is similar to DNA, but only has a single strand. Fortunately, viral enzymes to convert RNA into DNA were discovered decades ago, and have been harnessed, along with PCR, to find unique signatures in RNA, too. In this case, PCR is referred to as reverse transcription PCR, or RT-PCR.
https://discoverysedge.mayo.edu/2020/03/27/the-science-behind-the-test-for-the-covid-19-virus/

So technically, the PCR test should not be used to detect COVID-19, the RT-PCR test should be. They are not the exact same test and when talking about something as complicated as medical care, the details really matter.

What another site says:

Lockdowns and hygienic measures around the world are based on numbers of cases and mortality rates created by the so-called SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR tests used to identify “positive” patients, whereby “positive” is usually equated with “infected.”

But looking closely at the facts, the conclusion is that these PCR tests are meaningless as a diagnostic tool to determine an alleged infection by a supposedly new virus called SARS-CoV-2.
https://off-guardian.org/2020/06/27/covid19-pcr-tests-are-scientifically-meaningless/

[The mantra of “test, test, test”] indicates that the belief in the validity of the PCR tests is so strong that it equals a religion that tolerates virtually no contradiction.

But it is well known that religions are about faith and not about scientific facts. And as Walter Lippmann, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and perhaps the most influential journalist of the 20th century said: “Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.”

So to start, it is very remarkable that Kary Mullis himself, the inventor of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology, did not think alike. His invention got him the Nobel prize in chemistry in 1993.

Unfortunately, Mullis passed away last year at the age of 74, but there is no doubt that the biochemist regarded the PCR as inappropriate to detect a viral infection.

The reason is that the intended use of the PCR was, and still is, to apply it as a manufacturing technique, being able to replicate DNA sequences millions and billions of times, and not as a diagnostic tool to detect viruses.

Also, there is no gold-standard test to confirm the PCR test for COVID-19 actually works or is accurate. However there are studies that shows the various COVID-19 tests have high rates of false negatives and false positives. The PCR test may be the best we have at the moment, but that does not equate to reasonable accuracy.

Then there’s this list of problems and outright fraud with the COVID-19 testing: 78 examples of Co.vid fraud with source links. People who don’t even show up for a test still get a positive test, a lab is double reporting lab tests. People die from cancer or something else but it’s still counted as a coronavirus death. Fruit and goat also test positive, but the test does not work on them. The PCR test doesn’t detect an infection, that’s not how it works. https://pastebin.com/HR961ucb

The COVID-19 antigen test

From MIT’s “How does the COVID-19 antigen test work?” https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2020/06/how-does-covid-19-antigen-test-work May 12, 2020

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized the first antigen test to diagnose infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which is why you’ve been hearing about it. The new test is from a company called Quidel Corp., but the FDA expects to authorize additional tests of this type in the near future.

If you or your child has ever had a rapid strep test, you’ve had firsthand experience with an antigen test. While other diagnostic tests for COVID-19, known as PCR tests, look for genetic material from the virus, the antigen test looks for molecules on the surface of the virus. PCR tests require expensive and specialized equipment and can take hours or days to get results. In contrast, antigen tests can be run in a lab or doctor’s office in about 15 minutes.
https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2020/06/how-does-covid-19-antigen-test-work

False negatives are more common with the antigen test though. And some insurance companies may pay for one test but not the other.

What are the other COVID-19 tests?

From https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/is-covid-19-coronavirus-testing-accurate-and-9-more-things-to-know-about-covid-19-nasal-swab-testing.h00-159381945.html

Nasal swab test. This test used a long stick with a bunch of cotton on the end to go way back into the sinus to get a sample. This can be uncomfortable and can make the eyes water. The swab can touch the back of the throat and trigger the gag reflex.

Throat swab test. This test is less sensitive than the nasal swab.

At home tests. These tests are often less accurate because the user does not follow directions precisely. If the directions are not perfectly followed the test may be invalid.

How does the COVID-19 PCR test work?

Problems with the PCR test

What another site says:

The COVID-19 antigen test

What are the other COVID-19 tests?

Other links

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