Tests in recovered patients in S. Korea found false positives, not reinfections, experts say

[PeteS in CA]

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1266758/tests-in-recovered-patients-in-s-korea-found-false-positives-not-reinfections-experts-say

Tests in recovered patients in S. Korea found false positives, not reinfections, experts say
The Korea Herald/Asia News Network / 05:09 PM April 29, 2020

SEOUL — South Korea’s infectious disease experts said Thursday that dead virus fragments were the likely cause of over 260 people here testing positive again for the novel coronavirus days and even weeks after marking full recoveries.

Oh Myoung-don, who leads the central clinical committee for emerging disease control, said the committee members found little reason to believe that those cases could be COVID-19 reinfections or reactivations, which would have made global efforts to contain the virus much more daunting.

[Hoodat]

We had a case where someone underwent 14 days quarantine (with no symptoms), after which a test was administered that came back positive.  After an additional 14 days of quarantine (with no symptoms), another test was administered which came back negative.  A week later, another test was given which came back positive.

The tests are not pleasant.  Very long cotton swabs shoved deep up each nostril, and then have the results turn out like this?  There has got to be a better way.

[jmyrlefuller]

Thank goodness.

[Cyber Liberty]

We had a case where someone underwent 14 days quarantine (with no symptoms), after which a test was administered that came back positive.  After an additional 14 days of quarantine (with no symptoms), another test was administered which came back negative.  A week later, another test was given which came back positive.

The tests are not pleasant.  Very long cotton swabs shoved deep up each nostril, and then have the results turn out like this?  There has got to be a better way.

An accurate test might be nice to have...apparently we don't have them.

[rangerrebew]

Recovered patients who tested positive for COVID-19 likely not reinfected

By Yasemin Saplakoglu - Staff Writer 

This phenomenon is likely due to the shortcomings of the coronavirus test, experts say
 

More than 260 COVID-19 patients in South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus after having recovered, raising alarm that the virus might be capable of "reactivating" or infecting people more than once. But infectious disease experts now say both are unlikely.

Rather, the method used to detect the coronavirus, called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cannot distinguish between genetic material (RNA or DNA) from infectious virus and the "dead" virus fragments that can linger in the body long after a person recovers, Dr. Oh Myoung-don, a Seoul National University Hospital doctor, said at a news briefing Thursday (April 30), according to The Korea Herald.

https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-reinfections-were-false-positives.html

[jmyrlefuller]

We are finding more and more about how flawed these tests really are, and how foolish it is to rely upon them as many Democrats insist upon as a precondition of reopening.

[Smokin Joe]

We are finding more and more about how flawed these tests really are, and how foolish it is to rely upon them as many Democrats insist upon as a precondition of reopening.

BINGO!