Facts vs. Fiction about COVID-19

The sudden rise of global pandemic from first reported cases of pneumonia-like illness, respiratory infections, and gastro-intestinal symptoms in Wuhan, China around December, 2019 and its ensuing reported spread are dubious events meant to control human populations. Let’s quickly analyze the facts and theories about rise of COVID-19 as healthcare crisis of our lifetimes.

The original work to identify causative agent that afflicted sick Chinese with above health issues in Wuhan, China was carried out without any outside, independent confirmations. Two different teams in China using similar approaches obtained samples of fluid from the lungs of afflicted patients, found and isolated genetic material from these samples. The genetic material they isolated and further characterized was RNA (a type of nucleic acid) and they used technique of RT-PCR to get sufficient genetic material (now in form of DNA) to then sequence the composition of this genetic material.

These Chinese teams then identified these genetic material as new RNA virus also known as SARS-CoV2 or by laboratory designation of COVID-19 that had strong similarity to previous RNA virus called SARS-CoV (the purported virus that caused SARS in China in 2003). Also, the SARS-CoV2 is related to family of human coronaviruses. There is great deal of similar genetic material (or sequeunce homology) between SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV2 and other circulating human coronaviruses worldwide. The latter set of human coronaviruses cause mild to moderate upper respiratory illness and are rarely fatal or require any hospitalizations.

The newly identified SARS-CoV2 has not been purified and isolated as biologically active virus by the original Chinese medical and research teams. Nor have any other investigators been able to purify and isolate SARS-CoV2 virus (as done in classic virology studies) to shown that SARS-CoV2 is bonafide, infectious virus. The only means to identify and measure it is by RT-PCR methods or established cell culture assays or tests. No one knows where the original SARS-CoV2 RNA sequences came from in terms of what cells or tissues in the sick patients it was found in or its presence in such tissues.

More shocking, the Chinese teams have not shared these original samples with any outside, independent parties. Moreover, most or if not all of the original samples have been destroyed or disposed of without further analysis. The catch here is that they entered the SARS-CoV2 sequence into international gene banks and published these findings without any purified virus particles capable of infecting human tissues like primary cells of the lungs or respiratory tracts. Finally, their published SARS-CoV2 serves as starting and only point of reference for all subsequent investigations, testing, and studies of this so-called new RNA virus for all investigators and healthcare teams around the world. If the original tree is poisoned, then are all subsequent fruits of this tree considered to be pure or tainted?

Due to severe limitations on how this SARS-CoV2 was isolated and identified, the validity and reliability of attributing COVID-19 as pure infectious respiratory virus is seriously questionable. SARS-CoV2 or COVID-19 has never been purified and visualized to infect primary cells or tissues. There is only one reported picture of purported COVID-19 in cells of one patient (from one of the Chinese teams) that has been published. Also, there is no other test to compare the authenticity and reliability of SARS-CoV2 since mass COVID-19 testing is done only by RT-PCR. 

Additionally, the COVID-19 tests used in U.S.A. and around the world have not undergone rigorous clinical certifications process to be held as standard of measure.  Hence, since there is lack of gold standard to compare COVID-19 RT-PCR tests and the variability in testing protocols among countries and even laboratories, there is high “false positive rates” (estimated to be as high as ~80%)  with COVID-19 testing done in U.S.A. and around the world.

These are the issues with any PCR-based assays or tests including RT-PCR:

“What PCR does is to select a genetic sequence and then amplify it enormously. It can accomplish the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack; it can amplify that needle into a haystack. Like an electronically amplified antenna, PCR greatly amplifies the signal, but it also greatly amplifies the noise. Since the amplification is exponential, the slightest error in measurement, slightest contamination, can result in errors of many orders of magnitude.”

Source: N.I.H.

The Ct is the point (no. of cycles) in PCR amplification process where the signal can be distinguished from the background noise when it enters the exponential growth phase. The no template control stays below this threshold.