Author: Gerald Naidoo

With testing and tracing having become key to containing the outbreak of COVID-19, countries all over the world have implemented varying degrees of testing protocols. In South Africa, there has been a great deal of information provided about the government’s testing initiatives, but with little detail about the scientific differences between the types of tests. Diagnosing viral infections currently relies on two major methodologies: Reverse Transcription Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) and serological tests that detect viral-specific antibodies or antigens. Each of these tests has its place in the fight against COVID-19. RT-qPCR is a highly sensitive test for SARS-CoV-2,…

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