Fact check: Genomic sequencing, not PCR testing, detects COVID-19 variants
The claim: COVID-19 variants can't be detected because PCR tests can't discern different strains
During the coronavirus pandemic, polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, testing has been an invaluable tool to diagnose new COVID-19 cases. But some social media users are casting doubt on the test's ability to detect coronavirus variants.
"How can a rise in certain variants be detected when test kits do not decipher between different variant strains?" reads text in a meme published July 24 on Facebook. The image shows a still from the 1971 musical "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," a popular meme format.
"This meme challenged me to do some quick research," one Facebook user commented. "There (is) literally nothing out there explaining how they know or even track variants."
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That's wrong – public health officials are tracking coronavirus variants. They're just not using PCR tests to do it.
Since the start of the pandemic, scientists worldwide have used genetic surveillance networks to keep track of new coronavirus mutations. That genetic sequencing, not PCR testing, detects variants of the virus.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.
PCR tests diagnose, genomic sequencing finds variants
The post makes it seem like PCR tests are the primary way scientists try to detect coronavirus variants. But that's not the case.
"All the PCR test will tell you is whether you test positive for COVID-19, but it doesn't specify. It is not sophisticated enough to tell you specific variants of the virus," Erich Fogg, director of walk-in services and COVID-19 testing for York Hospital in Maine, told WMTW, an ABC News affiliate TV station.
A PCR test looks for the presence of viral genetic material in someone's body. If a PCR test returns positive, a patient's sample will typically go through a more detailed analysis called genomic sequencing. This technique decodes the coronavirus' genome, searching for any new mutations – or ones that match known variants.
This sort of testing not only informs public health experts about emerging variants, but also helps track a virus' transmission. For example, if two people share viral sequences with little to no genetic differences, it's likely one transmitted the virus to the other, or that they both got the virus from a common source.
Genomic sequencing is performed in several laboratories across the U.S., including those run by state and local public health departments. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also been involved in the sequencing effort through its National SARS-CoV-2 Strain Surveillance (NS3) system.
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It's important to note that not all positive PCR tests undergo genomic sequencing to detect coronavirus variants.
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The U.S. lags behind other developed countries in terms of the percentage of COVID-19 cases that are sequenced. The Biden administration announced in April that it would dedicate $1.7 billion to expanding the nation's sequencing capacity.
Our rating: Missing context
Based on our research, we rate MISSING CONTEXT the claim that new COVID-19 variants can't be detected since PCR tests can't discern different strains, because without additional information it is misleading. PCR tests can only tell if someone is positive or negative for the coronavirus. Positive samples, however, typically go through a more sophisticated analysis called genomic sequencing, which can discern whether a sample contains a new or a known COVID-19 variant.
Our fact-check sources:
ThermoFisher, accessed July 30, The History of PCR
Daily Dot, May 26, Condescending Wonka is one of the worst memes ever made
Nature, Jan. 15, Alarming COVID variants show vital role of genomic surveillance
WMTW, July 16, Experts answer whether COVID-19 tests can detect specific variants
The Conversation, March 31, Genomic surveillance: What it is and why we need more of it to track coronavirus variants and help end the COVID-19 pandemic
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 17, CDC's Role in Tracking Variants
Medical News Today, July 20, COVID-19: Geneticists criticize poor sequencing efforts in US
USA TODAY, April 16, White House tackles COVID-19 variants with $1.7 billion boost for genomic sequencing
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Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: COVID-19 PCR tests don't detect virus variants