PropertyValue
?:author
?:datePublished
  • 2021-06-24 (xsd:date)
?:headline
  • Posts mislead on Covid-19 testing in South Korea (en)
?:inLanguage
?:itemReviewed
?:mentions
?:reviewBody
  • Multiple Facebook posts claim that Covid-19 testing in South Korea does not follow normal standards. The posts suggest the testing has inflated the number of people diagnosed with the disease. The posts are misleading, according to a health expert, who said they had misinterpreted the measurements used in the tests. South Korea generally uses RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests, which the World Health Organization (WHO) says are the gold standard for detecting Covid-19. The claim was shared here on Facebook on June 8, 2021. The post shows a graphic with Korean-language text that reads in part: Covid positive diagnoses. The normal CT value is 15, but Korea’s average is 37. Screenshot of the misleading post. Captured June 21, 2021. Ct value -- or the cycle threshold value -- is a number used in RT-PCR tests to categorise the concentration of viral genetic material detected in a patient. RT-PCR tests are widely used in South Korea to diagnose Covid-19. The post suggests that South Korea's measurements for testing have inflated reported Covid-19 cases in the country. As of June 23, South Korea has recorded more than 150,000 Covid-19 infections. Identical claims were also shared in Facebook posts here , here , here and here . But the posts are misleading. ‘ No universal value ’ RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 have no normal Ct value as the misleading posts claim. There is no universal optimal cut-off Ct value. Each [testing kit] manufacturer chooses the cut-off number, Professor Kwon Gye-cheol, chair of the Korea Society for Laboratory Medicine (KSLM), told AFP on June 21, 2021. Ct values used in six approved RT-PCR testing kits in South Korea range from 35 to 40, according to KSLM here . ‘Gold standard’ RT-PCR tests are the gold standard in detecting Covid-19 according to credible global health agencies, according to international health authorities including the WHO and the US Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) . Self-administered Covid-19 tests -- typically rapid antigen tests -- should be combined with RT-PCR tests to ensure accuracy, according to this South Korean government report. AFP has previously debunked misleading claims about the accuracy of RT-PCR tests for diagnosing Covid-19 here , here and here . (en)
?:reviewRating
rdf:type
?:url