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On 20 October 2020 Slovenian TV presenter Marko Potrč claimed in his Facebook post that the tests performed to detect the presence of the virus (PCR) do not tell if someone is actually infected or even contagious. He said that dr. Lejko Zupanc, infectious disease specialist, also had to admit this on national television. This statement is misleading and thus mostly false. Marko Potrč is a Slovenian TV presenter, who became more active on social media, particularly on Facebook, during the global pandemic. His first post that went viral was published in the beginning of July. He is focusing on criticising government measures which also results in undermining the health professionals and their work. While constantly posting he gained a lot of supporters and sympathizers. His huge reach (more than 1,000 likes on post) and audience engagement also led to mentioning him in mass media. Marko Potrč’s original post. Source: https://www.facebook.com/PotrcMarko/posts/3431861533573498 In the previously mentioned Facebook post he is defending himself by answering to the public and expert’s criticism regarding coronavirus – measures and the virus itself. He explains himself by giving 13 statements – the claim we factchecked is one of them. In this particular post, he does not draw from opinions of professionals. The first person we contacted in the process of factchecking was the author himself. We wanted to get information about the motive that drew him to make the post and the original sources on which the claim was based. Unfortunately, we did not get his reply. As the author of the claim Marko Potrč is not an expert on this topic and because of the current panic around the pandemic and tests, we deemed it appropriate to get professional and scientific opinions on the matter. In his post Potrč is leaning on a statement of dr. Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, the head of Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Fever Conditions Ljubljana, in an interview for national television Let’s beat COVID-19. It must be pointed out that Potrč only used a small part of her statement and ignored her further explanation. Because of this we contacted her to get her response and explanation on this topic. Additionally we contacted another expert, an infectologist who wishes to stay anonymous. He is currently working as an infectologist at the COVID department, while the amount of attacks on medical staff is getting more and more intense, therefore he wishes not to be judged based on his medical opinion. Being infected VS. being contagious Firstly, the distinction needs to be made between being infected and being contagious. An individual with whom the occupation occurred has become infected. According to the Slovenian Medical Dictionary
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