A positive nucleic acid test for novel coronavirus indicates that the subject is infected with the novel coronavirus, while a negative test indicates that the subject is not infected with the novel coronavirus. However, sometimes the test results may be incorrect due to experimental errors, and retesting is required.
To confirm the diagnosis of novel coronavirus, nucleic acid test is performed by scraping the respiratory tract or nasal secretions of the examinee and PCR test is performed. If nucleic acid of the virus is detected in the specimen, i.e., it is positive, which suggests that the examinee is infected with novel coronavirus.
Negative nucleic acid test for novel coronavirus means that no nucleic acid of novel coronavirus is detected in the specimen, indicating that the subject is not infected with novel coronavirus.
However, there is also the possibility of false positives and false negatives in clinical practice, such as poor sample quality, inappropriate timing of collection, improper storage, and other factors such as experimental errors leading to incorrect test results.
Doctors need to combine the epidemiologic history, clinical manifestations, other laboratory tests, chest CT results, and conduct retests to comprehensively determine whether a patient is infected with novel coronavirus.
Patients are advised to consult their doctors promptly after receiving the nucleic acid test results and take appropriate treatment under their professional guidance.