In general, a positive nucleic acid test for novel coronavirus indicates a confirmed infection with novel coronavirus, while a negative nucleic acid test for novel coronavirus indicates no infection with novel coronavirus. However, it is necessary to be alert to the existence of false positives and false negatives, which, if present, can easily lead to misdiagnosis. However, false positives can occur due to cross-infection of specimen collection, which are generally rare and can be confirmed by retesting or blood sampling for new coronavirus antibodies; 2. However, false negatives can also occur due to factors such as disease duration, specimen collection, testing process, and testing reagents, and need to be combined with epidemiological history, clinical symptoms, imaging examinations, and laboratory tests to make a comprehensive judgment. Therefore, for patients with high suspicion but negative nucleic acid test for novel coronavirus, retesting is required, and the time between retests should be greater than 24 hours, and in rare cases, false negatives are detected only after multiple retests.