The efficacy of the RT-PCR test used to identify infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and ”cases” of the Covid-19 disease is widely disputed. In these discussions, it is often maintained that the test produces 97% false positives. Reference for that claim is made to a study by a Marseille-based group who communicated their results in a letter to the editor on September 28th, 2020.[1]
The first author is R. Jaafar, so it is hereafter referred to as the Jaafar-paper. It represents an expanded data set compared to an earlier study[2] spearheaded by B. La Scola. This publication is referred to as the La Scola-paper.
In sum, the reults presented in the Jaafar-paper do not provide stand-alone proof for the test producing 97% false positives. The present comment is an attempt to distill the essential conclusions from their data. Continue reading on