The Science behind How Coronavirus Tests Work

Jeffery DelViscio
8-10 minutes
From Scientific American
So you think you may have COVID-19, and you want to get tested.

Your first problem might be finding a test, depending on where you live and how sick you currently are.

A recent survey conducted with administrators from 323 hospitals across the United States found...

Quote: “Hospitals reported that severe shortages of testing supplies and extended waits for test results limited hospitals’ ability to monitor the health of patients and staff....”

Adding: “... they were unable to keep up with testing demands because they lacked complete kits and/or the individual components ... used to detect the virus.”

But let’s say that you can actually get a test for COVID-19.