Progresses in nucleic acid testing for COVID-19.

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Public Health

Background:

• The rapid global spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) necessitates urgent control measures.
• Early and accurate detection of infectious cases is vital for epidemic containment.
• Current clinical experiences with nucleic acid testing (NAT) for COVID-19 reveal limitations, including frequent false negatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current status and future prospects of NAT in COVID-19 detection.
• To identify challenges and propose strategies for enhancing NAT sensitivity and specificity.
• To provide a reference for ongoing clinical and experimental research on COVID-19 diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent findings on COVID-19 infection and NAT.
• Analysis of current NAT protocols and their limitations in clinical settings.
• Exploration of potential methods to improve NAT validity, focusing on sample quality.

Main Results:

• Nucleic acid testing (NAT) is a primary diagnostic tool for COVID-19.
• Limitations in NAT sensitivity and specificity lead to false negative results, impacting clinical diagnosis.
• Improving sample quality and refining testing protocols are key to enhancing NAT accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of NAT is essential for effective COVID-19 control.
• Further research and development in NAT methodologies are required.
• This review offers insights for improving diagnostic accuracy in clinical and experimental settings for COVID-19.