Coronavirus is Testing the World. How Do We Test for Coronavirus?

The need to understand and track the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, has highlighted the importance of diagnostic testing. Widespread diagnostic testing is needed not only to identify who is sick right now, but also who is at risk, and critically, who is immune due to previous exposure. Discussion of diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 is omnipresent, and as you have likely gleaned from the news, not all tests are equally effective or rapid and there are huge issues around availability.

But what kinds of tests are needed, and what do these tests actually test for?

First and most acutely, we need tests to determine if a person is actively infected with the virus. This allows for infected people to be isolated and appropriately treated. Tests of this nature are called viral tests, meaning that they test for the presence of the virus in a patient sample.

 
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Πηγή: a16z.com