The news abounds with reports of new cases of Covid-19 throughout the world based on RT-PCR testing.  Just this past Sunday September 12^th, the U.S. and Brazil both reported approximately 45,000 cases and about 1000 deaths from Covid-19, indicating about a 2% fatality rate.  Israel has stiffened its lockdown with 150,000 case positives and approximately 1000 deaths as well for a fatality rate of less than 1%. 

Kary Mullis PhD in biochemistry won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1993 for inventing the RT-PCR testing that is being used to detect Covid-19 “cases” today.  The technique finds a fragment of genetic material (DNA) and doubles it through repeated cycles amplifying the material to see if there is an appreciable amount of a fragment of the DNA of the virus. However, Covid-19 is an RNA virus. How does an RNA virus get converted to DNA for validation through RT-PCR testing and what potential problems could arise from this testing?   

When a nasal or saliva swab is used for testing it will contain hundreds if not thousands of bacteria and viruses all of which contain RNA and DNA including corona viruses from the common cold that could sabotage the accuracy of the test.  It will also have DNA of the person being tested. The RT part stands for reverse transcriptase and this requires identifying the RNA of the virus you want tested, and separating it from the surrounding DNA of other bacteria and viruses. An enzyme and a primer of genetic material is then used to convert the RNA (single strand) to match up with corresponding nucleic acids to form DNA (a double strand) of genetic material....