PCR tests can detect corona virus infection. The person suffering from coronavirus can have severe pneumonia. Many may not have the same symptoms. The only way to determine if someone is infected is to test for coronavirus.
Health professionals collect swabs or take aqueous substances from the patient’s nose and throat. Samples were collected and tested in the laboratory. The genetic material of the virus is extracted from the fluid and purified from the mucus and cell waste.
Corona test is different from influenza test. This test is performed using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique.
PCR can detect virulent genetic material. The PCR steps take 5 minutes to 5 hours. However, it may take up to 4 hours to fully complete the test.
The test is conducted by public health institutions and private labs around the world. The advantage of PCR tests is that it can detect the presence of a virus in the first place. Even within 2 days of infection, the virus reproduces rapidly at this stage. But the body does not cause any symptoms in the immune system. This time is the most touching.
Doctors cannot do this in the test chamber. Many quickly carry out influenza tests. Those flu tests do not require PCR. Rapid influenza tests cannot detect 3-5 percent of the PCR that can be detected. This test requires strict quality control and quality assurance. So it is not right to do this test in all labs. Skilled technicians and proper equipment are needed and clean test environment to prevent contamination.
