The Confusion Of COVID-19 Test

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COVID-19, the mysterious disease that appeared at the start of 2020 still is largely present throughout the world. One major reason is that our globe is still fighting to produce a vaccine against the virus.

Another contributing reason is the COVID-19 test, even though scientist were able to produce a quick detection kit based on Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, with the arrival of COVID-19 this test has a bit of ambiguity. PCR technique-based test is commonly used to detect a wide range of viruses and pathogens. The test is conducted by getting a respiratory sample, this sample is applied and tested for genetic material related to the virus. In the end, test results indicate their person is positive or negative for the virus.

The COVID-19 test which is used around the world produces three results; negative, positive or slightly positive for COVID-19. Unlike other tests, this test includes a grey area. What does slightly positive of COVID-19 mean? Slightly positive indicates that the individuals contain genetic materials of the virus, but we cannot guarantee this result 100%. Some COVID-19 who are tested as “slightly positive” when retested after a couple of weeks come out as “negative” for COVID-19. However, some individuals who test as “slightly positive” after recovering from COVID-19 are presumptively positive as they still have the virus’s genetic material in their body and able to be infectious.

Due to the confusion of the COVID-19 test, it has led to several cases of unnecessary quarantining individuals to disregarding test results in having COVID-19 positive individuals to be present in the community actively infecting other individuals. Therefore, it is important to reanalyze COVID-19 testing methods and appreciated complexity of the disease.