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. 2022 Sep 15;64(1):e1-e4.
doi: 10.4102/safp.v64i1.5492.

A pandemic guided by the SARS-CoV-2 PCR test: What should the clinician know?

Avania Bangalee  1 , Kreshalen Govender, Varsha Bangalee
Affiliations

A pandemic guided by the SARS-CoV-2 PCR test: What should the clinician know?

Avania Bangalee et al. S Afr Fam Pract (2004). .

Abstract

Amidst an ever-evolving pandemic, the demand for timely and accurate diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to increase. Critically, managing and containing the spread of the disease requires expedient testing of infected individuals. Presently, the gold standard for the diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Potential vulnerabilities of this testing methodology can range from preanalytical variables to laboratory-related analytical factors and, ultimately, to the interpretation of results.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2 PCR, pandemic, COVID-19 testing, molecular diagnostic test, laboratory, COVID-19 response.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

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