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Here Is Why Some Covid-19 Tests Negative Despite Showing Symptoms

The spread of Covid-19 disease is at a great speed. Some people showed symptoms of coronavirus infection but the laboratory test shows “negative” for SARS-CoV-2. In the respect of this, doctors say that the treatment is given depending on the symptoms, not for the attendance report card of the virus.

Source: The Indian Express


In India, two types of sample testing are approved for detecting Covid-19 — RT-PCR, the gold standard, and rapid antigen testing (RAT). If the report is “positive”, then the patient s infected. A “negative” report, particularly thrown up by RAT. 

In case, if there are symptoms for Covid-19, the doctor says that it is best to begin initial treatment. For asymptomatic persons, the RT-PCR report shows “negative” then it is considered ruling out of Covid-19.

Also Read: Apart From Coronavirus, Here’re 5 Other Diseases/Virus The World Doesn’t Have A Vaccine For

Now, the question is “why do Covid-19 test kits or machines return a negative report for a positive person?”

The answer to this question is its preservation, sample collection, transport, and final testing.

The process to test samples

RT-PCR is known as the Real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction. It is generally performed in order to identify the presence of the same virus. However, this test cannot be termed as much reliable as others for screening purposes.

Also Read: Black Fungus Impacts Covid-19 Patients With Low Immunity

To test for Covid-19 status, a swab is used to collect samples from the tissues of the throat or nostrils of a person.

This swab containing tissues that penetrate in a liquid chemical form which keeps the SARS-CoV-2 active and alive. As per the World Health Organization, it is kept in a special chamber for transportation to a pathological lab with bio-safety level-2 (BSL-2).


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Singh Vivek

With over 5 years of writing obituaries for a different organisation, I have a uniquely wry voice that shines through in my newest collection of articles.

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