By Pete Bianco

Locally PCR testing will be on the rise due to colleges such as Munson Williams and Hamilton College requiring these tests to detect COVID-19 in the student population.

However, the inventor of the PCR test said his test was never meant to be a diagnostic tool. Even the makers of the test state it is for research use only, not for use in diagnostic procedures. PCR is not a test that isolates, identifies, or even detects any particular virus.

PCR amplifies a piece of nucleic acid in a process likened to a xerox machine. Every copy doubles the amount of genetic material and also doubles the imperfections. If you double 30 times you get approximately a billion times more material than you started with. Also of note it is not a yes or no test, it is subjective. If it is not amplified enough there are false negatives and if amplified too much everyone tests positive.

NPR ran a short piece about a scientist who used PCR for other purposes and discovered false positives with the testing. He began wondering whether ‘asymptomatic carriers’ were actually largely or totally false-positive results.

If you are interested in learning more about the short comings of these tests check out the following links.

COVID19 PCR Tests are Scientifically Meaningless

Coronavirus: The Truth about PCR Test Kit from the Inventor…