The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned experts not to rely solely on the results of a PCR test to detect the CCP virus.
In updated guidelines published January 20, the WHO said that in addition to the PCR test, laboratory experts and health care providers should consider the patient’s history and epidemiological risk factors in diagnosing the CCP virus (Chinese Communist Party) in addition to the PCR test. ).
The new guidance could lead to significantly fewer daily cases.
“Most PCR tests are indicated as an aid in diagnosis, therefore health care professionals should consider each result in conjunction with the timing of the sampling, the specimen type, the specifics of the tests, clinical observations, patient history, confirmed status of any contacts and epidemiological information, ”said guidance.
It is unclear why the health service has waited more than a year to issue the new guideline. WHO did not respond to a question from The Epoch Times.
Scientists and doctors have expressed concern for many months about the over-reliance and misuse of the PCR test as a diagnostic tool, as it cannot differentiate between a live infectious virus and an inactivated virus fragment that is not contagious.
In addition, the high cycle thresholds of most PCR tests – at 40 cycles or higher – increase the risk of false positives. A higher threshold indicates that there is less viral load and that the person has less chance of infection, while a person with a lower cycle threshold value has a higher viral load, or is more infectious.
The WHO did not specify what the threshold cutoff should be for a positive diagnosis, but only said “to determine whether [a] manual adjustment of the PCR positivity threshold is recommended by the manufacturer. “
However, it clarified that when the prevalence of the CCP virus is low, ‘the risk of false positive results increases’, meaning’ the likelihood that a person with a positive result (detected SARS-CoV-2) is actually infected with SARS-CoV-2 decreases as prevalence decreases, regardless of claimed specificity [of the PCR test]. “
SARS-CoV-2 is the scientific name for the CCP virus that causes the disease COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say the PCR tests have a cycle threshold of 40 cycles. The federal agency finally included cycle threshold information in its COVID-19 FAQ for laboratories on November 12, 2020.
But many medical experts consider a threshold cutoff of 40 cycles to return false positives only, as samples going through many amplification cycles will pick up negligible RNA sequences, regardless of whether the virus is inactive or the viral load is unusually low to produce a problem.
Prior to the CCP virus pandemic, to be considered a case, individuals must test positive and show clinical signs and symptoms. But to be counted as a CCP virus case, only a positive PCR test is required. And no matter how often a person is tested, each positive test is counted as an individual case.
The WHO now recommends that a positive PCR test that “does not match clinical presentation” should be verified by “taking a new sample” and retesting it.
This advice can also help reduce CCP virus cases in hospitals as it more clearly defines who is considered a hospital case.
UK National Health Service (NHS) Director of International Relations, Dr. Layla McCay confirmed that talkRADIO that a percentage of hospital patients officially counted as positive were actually being treated for various illnesses unrelated to COVID-19. They had only tested positive for the disease in the hospital without showing any symptoms.
Dr. Layla McCay, director of the NHS Confederation, confirms to Julia that the hospital numbers for “Covid patients” include patients who are not treated for Covid but have simply tested positive while being treated for something else.@ JuliaHB1 | @RTLnews pic.twitter.com/xSud6LW13M
– talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) January 5, 2021
“It is correct that in the hospital people who tested positive for COVID will have all symptoms,” McCay said. “Some will have put it aside for some other problem they are in the hospital for.”
The day after the WHO released its new guidelines, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the United States would rejoin the organization.
“As such, I am honored to announce that the United States will remain a member of the World Health Organization,” said Fauci. “Yesterday, President Biden signed letters withdrawing the previous government’s announcement to withdraw from the organization, and those letters have been forwarded to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to you, Dr. Tedros, my dear friend. . “
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director General of WHO.
“The United States also intends to honor its financial obligations to the organizations,” added Fauci.
Last July, the Trump administration withdrew from the WHO over its alleged role in helping the Chinese communist regime cover up the seriousness of the CCP virus.
There have been mixed reactions from Congress about Biden’s decision to rejoin the WHO.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) Filed a bill (PDF) on Jan. 21 to “ban the availability of US contributions to the World Health Organization until Congress receives a full report on China and the COVID-19 pandemic, and for others. purposes. “
She said in a statement, “The WHO is China-centric and focuses on Beijing at every opportunity. There is no reason why American taxpayers should contribute more than $ 400 million a year to an organization that dealt with China and failed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. “
Before former President Donald Trump withdrew from the WHO, the United States contributed the most money to the health agency, according to statistics from the State Department.