according to the NIH.Standard testing for SARS-CoV-2 virus amplifies viral RNA to detectable levels using a technique called quantitative reverse transcription PCR.
Before the amplification efforts begin, the RNA must be extracted from the sample.RELATED: Delta, American Airlines, Southwest will not mandate COVID-19 vaccine for employeesRNA extraction kit manufacturers have had difficulty keeping up with demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, hindering testing capacity worldwide.The NIH said that with new coronavirus variants emerging, the need for better and faster testing is greater than ever.Dr.
Robert B. Hufnagel, chief of the NEI Medical Genetics and Ophthalmic Genomic Unit, and Bin Guan, Ph.D., a fellow at the Ophthalmic Genomics.