[cashman]

[QUOTE=Margaret Pilkington;1245153]There is a situation called 'The False Positive Paradox'
The PCR test relies on genetic material from viruses...it requires a fair bit of DNA to determine a result....this means the material taken from a nose or a throaty needs to be amplified in order to get enough DNA to test.

The PCR test is also not specifically looking for the Covid 19 virus, it will pick up DNA particles from other viruses you may have had in the last 12 months...dead particles of old viruses.

The PCR test is unreliable because of this and has a false positive rate of 0.8 per cent.
This sounds very small.
This does not mean that it is 99.2 per cent accurate(that is what you would possibly assume)
When the prevalence of the virus is low...as it currently is there are a lot of false positives.
The more people who are tested, the more false positives will emerge.
If you tested 10,000 people with the PCR test when the prevalence of the virus is just 0.1 per cent, then you will get ten true positives and 80 false positive...90 cases.....with 80 having no symptoms at all.

This was explained to me by a medically qualified friend who understands all this far better than I do.
So more testing makes it look like there is a spike of infections, when really there is not.
It is just a case of a test that is not suitable for purpose....much like the scientists leading Boris by the n itable or not, Please explain what Option Him or any P.M. has apart from listen to them?