pcr testing

Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR): Most tests to check for current SARS-CoV-2 infection rely on RT-PCR testing to detect the virus's RNA in a respiratory tract sample from a patient. PCR is a laboratory method used for making a very large number of copies of short sections of DNA from a very small sample of DNA so that it can be detected. This process is called "amplifying" the DNA. (See the article on PCR for more details.) The reverse transcription step allows the viral RNA to be converted into DNA so that the PCR technique can be used.