This is the real story of coronavirus testing in the United States

Coronavirus is difficult to test and can test negative up to six times in some people even if they are infected with the virus, according to the BBC and Chinese media. The ophthalmologist who first identified the illness was just such a case.

CORONAVIRUS IS DIFFICULT TO TEST

There are problems with false-negatives.

Dr. Wenliang developed a cough and fever after unknowingly treating an infected patient. He was hospitalized, testing negative for coronavirus several times before eventually receiving a positive result. On Jan. 30 the doctor posted: “Today nucleic acid testing came back with a positive result, the dust has settled, finally diagnosed,” according to the BBC. Dr. Wenliang passed away on February 7 in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

MedicineNet author Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD notes that “RT-PCR has been used to measure viral load with HIV and may also be used with other RNA viruses such as measles and mumps.”

However, RT-PCR tests for the novel coronavirus are not perfect and not always accurate. A recent study in the journal Radiology examined medical records from 167 patients with COVID-19 from Hunan province in China. Researchers found that five patients out of 167 — 3% of the study group — who had chest CT scan features suggestive of COVID-19 initially tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR. The patients were isolated and all eventually were confirmed through repeated swab tests to have the infection.

False negatives comprised just 3% of the patient population in this study, but even that small number can be very serious.

False negatives result from laboratory error or an insufficient amount of viral material collected from the patient. Samples that are stored or handled improperly also result in false negatives.

Tests may result in false negatives if the patient is tested too early in the course of infection and there is insufficient amount of virus to be detected. Improper sampling may result in a false negative.

Another potential problem with test kits: Faulty reagents. The CDC recently admitted test kits they distributed resulted in inconsistent results due to a problematic reagent required for the test. They are now manufacturing the reagents using stricter quality control measures.

NOTHING IS PERFECT

In the middle of cold and flu season, it is possible that some people who are being tested for coronavirus do not actually have the infection. Symptoms like cough and fever are nonspecific and may occur with many conditions other than COVID-19. The symptoms are coughing, fever, and shortness of breath.

Lung imaging is one potential clinical test that could help diagnose Covid-19.

Insufficient test kits, inaccurate test kits, changing definitions of what constitutes a confirmed case of COVID-19, and overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of the illness make it difficult to determine the real number of those affected. Accurate diagnosis is necessary so that hospitals and resources are allocated to real cases.

It isn’t the President’s fault. He responded quickly with travel bans and launching teams of researchers to take charge. The President — the government — can’t control everything and everyone. Ask China if you don’t believe me. Few governments in the world are as good at controlling people as they are.

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) HAD TESTS THE CDC DIDN’T WANT

Another attack launched against the President is that he let the CDC develop its own test. If he hadn’t, they’d blame him for that too. There is no evidence of any kind that this was a mistake, but you wouldn’t know it from the media.

The CDC is shipping tests to WHO and is superior to the world organization. They do work closely with WHO and provide tests to them.

The attack claims the test offered by the World Health Organization would have saved time.

Politico reported that it remains unclear why the CDC developed its own coronavirus test, rather than relying on one distributed by the World Health Organization, but some experts suggest the agency wanted a test that would do a better job of ruling out other viruses.

When in doubt, the media jumps in and uses the assumptions to trash the President. MSM claims this is the President’s Katrina because he botched the testing.

AVAILABLE TESTS

Currently, doctors have the tests they need according to the Surgeon General.

The left is now viciously attacking the Surgeon General.

TRUMP CAN’T BE HEALTHY

They are also using a general comment he made about the President’s health to demonize him. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told Jake Tapper that the President sleeps less than he does and is healthier. The left wants you to believe, they need you to believe, the President is unhealthy. The reason they must put this false story out into the Internet is that one of their candidates has dementia and the other is a walking heart attack.

PowerInbox