Dwight Watt - Watt Thoughts #418 1/2/2022


#418 - Follow-up on Covid testing article (Watt Thoughts)

I have had several people write and tell me I was wrong on my article about PCR and flu and Covid because of what USAToday said this week. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/12/30/fact-check-cdcs-pcr-test-withdrawn-after-dec-31/9053100002/

I based what I wrote on what I read in the original CDC article https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dls/locs/2021/07-21-2021-lab-alert-Changes_CDC_RT-PCR_SARS-CoV-2_Testing_1.html?ACSTrackingID=USCDC_2146-DM62994&ACSTrackingLabel=Lab%20Alert%3A%20Clarifications%20about%20the%20Retirement%20of%20the%20CDC%202019%20Novel%20Coronavirus%20(2019-nCov)%20Real-Time%20RT-PCR%20Diagnostic%20Panel&deliveryName=USCDC_2146-DM62994.

I did read the USA Today article after I wrote my article. I have since read the follow-up article by the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dls/locs/2021/08-02-2021-lab-alert-Clarifications_about_Retirement_CDC_2019_Novel_Coronavirus_1.html

They are stopping the use of the test as of yesterday (1/1/2022). Stated reason was that many more and better tests are available now, but it is odd they are not just stopping use but requesting FDA remove emergency authorization, so it cannot be used any more ocne that happens. But they encourage test developers to still use it as a building block to new tests.

The original CDC article was not clear on whys of unauthorizing use of the PCR test in December and was clear on that testing needed to do more on testing both and differentiating. In both the original release and the August release they state the fallowing "It does not detect influenza or differentiate between influenza and SARS-CoV-2. " which is a confusing statement and as the first part says it cannot detect flu but second part says it cannot tell difference in flu and Covid which infers that it may be seeing flu as Covid.

I will still wait and see what happened on reports of both diseases.

It is odd that in Georgia thru December 18, that this year (since October) there have only been 40 hospitalization due to flu and 4 deaths due to it. Normally it would be a lot larger.

Using the new tests should give more accurate counts on both diseases and hopefully also have less false positives and false negatives (they occur in ay test and from what I have seen not a large item but either one gives wrong information and leads to wrong actions).

My part on the article was that we may well see the numbers (number of positives for flu and/or Covid and positivity rate (which I have questions on what shows as most people getting a test do so only because they think they got or they were exposed (so to me should be much higher))) start changing and it may be hard to determine trends for a month.

What would be interesting is how many used the specific PCR tests. Georgia's web site is not clear and shows wide use of PCR tests, but not know what PCR test.

This has been a two year period on learning about Covid and there are many still out there thinking a corona virus is just Covid when corona viruses are many types and been common and include the common cold. I have read recently they may actually develop a vaccine for the cold as a result of Covid research. We ae still learning what Covid is and how it works, and I suspect new stuff on it will appear a long time.

I am not a medical expert but do lots of reading and studying and see many extreme articles of opinions from the right and left (this article was based on none of them, but on the article at the CDC form last July) and weigh them all carefully in my opinions. Please do not use my thoughts as medical advice, Watt Thoughts are just my opinions and you may agree or disagree.

Dwight

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