Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/EGAwo-NBOzo   All tests for coronavirus look for CoVid19 genetic fingerprints in the cells captured relatively painlessly on a Q-tip from the nose or throat.  To fingerprint the genetic material from those cells, it is first multiplied and then probed using a test called reverse-transcriptase n polymerase chain reaction or PCR.  The genes in the patient material are compared against standard probe genes characteristic of the CoVid19 virus.   The first probe genes were identified by the Germans, and they code for the viral envelope E gene.  Their test was adopted by the World Health Organization and most countries. The US government was offered the ready test but said “no thank you.”  The CDC wasted time developing its own probes for the virus nucleocapsid N gene.  Then the initial batch of reagents was flawed.     All PCR tests takes several days due to the need for genetic multiplication, probe screen, and confirmation testing.  Other, faster tests are in development using CRISPR