Coronavirus Outbreak...

[shunyadragon]

As we see in the PCR test thread, the PCR tests among the public are estimated at 97% false positives in the US. We saw elsewhere that the PCR test in a specific hospital became less predictive of infectious states of people after something like 30 cycles.

Your information on the reliability of PCR tests is selective, biased and oldy moldy, and reflects your anti-science agenda. It is true in the first months there were many many problems, but since the reliability has greatly increased.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-reliable-covid-experts.html

Just how reliable are COVID-19 tests? Experts weigh in

by Dennis Thompson
.
COVID-19 tests becoming more accurate

"In general, the tests available are sensitive enough to diagnose those with symptoms accurately, but there are also other infections with similar symptoms that might merit testing for as well," Adalja said.

PCR tests have improved dramatically during the pandemic, and have also gotten easier to perform.

For example, labs can now get fairly accurate results from gentle nasal swabs or saliva samples, and no longer have to use a long swab to hook a sample from deep within your nasal cavity, Pritt said.

"We can accept nasal swab specimens and even saliva and perform testing on those specimens, and if they are collected correctly the results can be just as good as those that are collected using that gold standard nasopharyngeal swab," Pritt said.

Labs also are getting results back to doctors more quickly, although they are still struggling to maintain supplies of the chemical reagents they need to perform PCR tests, said Dr. Emily Volk, senior vice president of clinical services at University of Texas Health in San Antonio.

"Turnaround times are improving as more local laboratories and hospitals have been able to bring up the testing," Volk said. "The more reagents we have available at the local level, the more we're going to be able to provide turnarounds within 24 hours or less on even the most accurate PCR testing."

However, there is a chance that you might have gotten a false negative, experts added. The exact accuracy of PCR tests has been tough to pin down. According to Dr. Robert Schmerling reporting in Harvard Health Publishing, "the reported rate of false negatives is as low as 2% and as high as 37%. The reported rate of false positives—that is, a test that says you have the virus when you actually do not—is 5% or lower."

The timing of when the sample is collected, the type of sample collected and the quality of the sample can all influence the accuracy of the COVID-19 results, said Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Is repeat testing necessary?

"The virus is thought to be present at the highest levels approximately five days, on average, after being exposed, or around the time a person develops symptoms," Binnicker said. "If a high-quality nasopharyngeal swab is collected within 24 hours of symptom onset, is tested by an approved PCR method and the result is negative, the likelihood of the person having COVID-19 is low," he explained.

"However, if a less preferred sample (e.g., throat swab) is collected after three to five days of symptoms and tested by PCR, a negative result would be less reliable to rule out COVID-19," Binnicker continued.

If you're still sick a week after your negative COVID-19 test and you continue to have no idea what's wrong with you, experts say you should reach out to your doctor for a follow-up coronavirus test.

"If a COVID-19 test is negative, then specific testing for influenza will also need to be performed," Binnicker said. "If the results are negative for these viruses and the patient continues to be ill, a repeat COVID-19 test can be appropriate. As patients enter into the second week of illness, a lower respiratory sample (e.g., like sputum) is preferred over an upper respiratory swab to increase the likelihood of detecting SARS-CoV-2 during the later stages of disease."

Keep in mind that if you're sick right now, you probably won't be given an antigen test, the other form of viral testing for COVID-19 infection.

Antigen tests are cheap and fast, looking for specific structural proteins of the coronavirus that form during infection. The Trump administration made headlines last month by buying out the entire 2020 supply of the just-approved $5 BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card produced by Abbott Laboratories, which the company says will return relatively accurate results within 15 minutes.

Because antigen tests are quick but generally less accurate than PCR tests, they probably will be reserved for screening folks who don't have any symptoms of possible COVID-19 infection, Pritt said.

"If we are screening large numbers of individuals and we plan on doing that on a regular basis, let's say college students on a weekly basis, then using an antigen test is probably going to be the best strategy forward because it's going to be relatively inexpensive and easy to do, and it's going to be done on a relatively lower risk population," Pritt said.

© Copyright Original Source

[mikewhitney]

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-reliable-covid-experts.html

Just how reliable are COVID-19 tests? Experts weigh in

by Dennis Thompson
PCR tests have improved dramatically during the pandemic, and have also gotten easier to perform.

For example, labs can now get fairly accurate results from gentle nasal swabs or saliva samples, and no longer have to use a long swab to hook a sample from deep within your nasal cavity, Pritt said.

...

However, there is a chance that you might have gotten a false negative, experts added. The exact accuracy of PCR tests has been tough to pin down. According to Dr. Robert Schmerling reporting in Harvard Health Publishing, "the reported rate of false negatives is as low as 2% and as high as 37%. The reported rate of false positives—that is, a test that says you have the virus when you actually do not—is 5% or lower."

The timing of when the sample is collected, the type of sample collected and the quality of the sample can all influence the accuracy of the COVID-19 results, said Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Is repeat testing necessary?

"The virus is thought to be present at the highest levels approximately five days, on average, after being exposed, or around the time a person develops symptoms," Binnicker said. "If a high-quality nasopharyngeal swab is collected within 24 hours of symptom onset, is tested by an approved PCR method and the result is negative, the likelihood of the person having COVID-19 is low," he explained.

"However, if a less preferred sample (e.g., throat swab) is collected after three to five days of symptoms and tested by PCR, a negative result would be less reliable to rule out COVID-19," Binnicker continued.

If you're still sick a week after your negative COVID-19 test and you continue to have no idea what's wrong with you, experts say you should reach out to your doctor for a follow-up coronavirus test.

"If a COVID-19 test is negative, then specific testing for influenza will also need to be performed," Binnicker said. "If the results are negative for these viruses and the patient continues to be ill, a repeat COVID-19 test can be appropriate. As patients enter into the second week of illness, a lower respiratory sample (e.g., like sputum) is preferred over an upper respiratory swab to increase the likelihood of detecting SARS-CoV-2 during the later stages of disease."

Keep in mind that if you're sick right now, you probably won't be given an antigen test, the other form of viral testing for COVID-19 infection.

Antigen tests are cheap and fast, looking for specific structural proteins of the coronavirus that form during infection. The Trump administration made headlines last month by buying out the entire 2020 supply of the just-approved $5 BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card produced by Abbott Laboratories, which the company says will return relatively accurate results within 15 minutes.

. . .

"If we are screening large numbers of individuals and we plan on doing that on a regular basis, let's say college students on a weekly basis, then using an antigen test is probably going to be the best strategy forward because it's going to be relatively inexpensive and easy to do, and it's going to be done on a relatively lower risk population," Pritt said.

© Copyright Original Source

Shuny, I am not surprised anymore of you lack of response with scientific studies. I do not know why you keep on posting unsubstantial material in response in discussions which should be done within the scope of science . Hopefully we see something substantial from you in the future

[shunyadragon]

Shuny, I am not surprised anymore of you lack of response with scientific studies. I do not know why you keep on posting unsubstantial material in response in discussions which should be done within the scope of science . Hopefully we see something substantial from you in the future

Be surprised as your agenda dictates. Actually all this back and forth concerning tests, has little or nothing to do with the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA. The reason is testing is too variable as to the number and type or who is being tested, and many people receive multiple tests. Even number of total cases has limited value at any time, because of the many variables including asymptomatic, and the unbalanced way the number of cases are determined. The only use of cases totals is an estimate of trends over time.

It is over 250,000 fatalities, and uncountable hospitalization as well as many impacted for life by the infection. Also at present nation wide our hospitals are almost full to the limit, and more people are dying of COVID-19 at present than any other cause of death.

[mikewhitney]

Be surprised as your agenda dictates. Actually all this back and forth concerning tests, has little or nothing to do with the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA. It is over 250,000 fatalities, and uncounted hospitalization as well as many impacted for life by the infection. Also at present nation wide our hospitals are almost full to the limit, and more people are dying of COVID-19 at present than any other cause of death.

thanks for your contribution. have a great day. if the tests are giving the wrong diagnosis, then we are not solving the right problems. we already have a good array of cures. we just have to make sure that these cures are not hindered by government charlatans.

[shunyadragon]

thanks for your contribution. have a great day.

Pull the cord and Pinocchio repeats.

Here is where the same response you make when confronted with the reality of the facts of hospitalizations and fatalities with your full bore avoidance of the main issues concerning the COVID pandemic

[mikewhitney]

Pull the cord and Pinocchio repeats.

Here is where the same response you make when confronted with the reality of the facts of hospitalizations and fatalities with your full bore avoidance of the main issues concerning the COVID pandemic

good to see that you are back to your level of science. I'm looking for real science type discussions.

[shunyadragon]

good to see that you are back to your level of science. I'm looking for real science type discussions.

Pull the cord and Pinocchio repeats.

Here is where the same response you make when confronted with the reality of the facts of hospitalizations and fatalities with your full bore avoidance of the main issues concerning the COVID pandemic.

Let's deal with the science of the real issues of fatalities and hospitalization, which you are avoiding like the plague.

Still waiting . . .

[mikewhitney]

Pull the cord and Pinocchio repeats.

Here is where the same response you make when confronted with the reality of the facts of hospitalizations and fatalities with your full bore avoidance of the main issues concerning the COVID pandemic.

Let's deal with the science of the real issues of fatalities and hospitalization, which you are avoiding like the plague.

Still waiting . . .

stay asleep since this makes you happy.

[shunyadragon]

The Whitehouse 'Super Spread' continues: Rudy Giuliani tests positive for COVID-19

Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/528965-giuliani-has-tested-positive-for-coronavirus-trump-says

Giuliani has tested positive for coronavirus, Trump says

Rudy Giuliani, who has led President Trump's legal challenges to try to overturn the election, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the president said Sunday.

".@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus. Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!" Trump tweeted.

© Copyright Original Source

Carry on!!! and spread the gift on and on,

[shunyadragon]

stay asleep since this makes you happy.

Let's deal with the science of the real issues of fatalities and hospitalization, which you are avoiding like the plague.

Still waiting . . .

[NorrinRadd]

The Whitehouse 'Super Spread' continues: Rudy Giuliani tests positive for COVID-19

Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/528965-giuliani-has-tested-positive-for-coronavirus-trump-says

Giuliani has tested positive for coronavirus, Trump says

Rudy Giuliani, who has led President Trump's legal challenges to try to overturn the election, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the president said Sunday.

".@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus. Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!" Trump tweeted.

© Copyright Original Source

Carry on!!! and spread the gift on and on,

Also Jenna Ellis.

NBD.

[NorrinRadd]

Wide-ranging month-old hour-long interview with Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi.

[NorrinRadd]

Briefly summarizing Dr. Bhakdi: PCR test useless. COVID-19 not much worse than annual flu. Masks useless. Vaccine unsafe.

[Stoic]

Briefly summarizing Dr. Bhakdi: PCR test useless. COVID-19 not much worse than annual flu. Masks useless. Vaccine unsafe.

Thanks. Glad I didn't waste my time.

[Sparko]

why is the vaccine unsafe?