jc456
Diamond Member
- Dec 18, 2013
- 139,171
- 29,129
Corona is SARS. Can’t tell the difference. It’s why it’s a hoax. Flu, all it is!I don't think so. The PCR test won't tell you if you have influenza- it's not looking for influenza. A person could be infected with both, and only the corona will be detected. A person with influenza and no C19 will be PCR negative.
Assuming proper use of the test, and not irrationally high Ct's. PCR should never be a diagnostic tool- it's a surveillance tool. You need a clinical diagnosis to call someone sick with covid.
There is a PCR test that does detect both, it has to look for 5 sequences instead of the 3 for the covid tests. The covid test looks for 2 sequences that are unique to SARS-Cov2 and one that is normal in humans. The human sequence is the control, the other 2 are looking at the C19 spike and membrane proteins.
The dual test adds 2 sequences from influenza, so it can detect or exclude both C19 and the flu. That is not the CDC test, (which is the one most used). The UW made their own test that looks for different genetic sequences than the CDC- any lab make up their own test, the trick is selecting the right sequences.
An "Omicron" positive using the CDC sequences is what's known as an "S-delete". The Omicron spike is so different that the PCR test can't identify the Omicron spike. So a positive for M protein plus a positive control, and a negative for the S protein is called an Omicron infection. That's a weak conclusion because it hinges on a negative result- you can't be sure until it's fully sequenced.
This is also why the vaccines and Mabs don't touch Omicron. They target the original Wuhan spike which is very different than Omicron's.
Omicron looks like the extinct SA variant that was serially attenuated in mice- it's weird. All of the other variants share mutations, Omicron stands alone.