Progresses in nucleic acid testing for COVID-19.

Liu, Kangsheng; Xu, Zhirong; Mao, Xiaodong; Li, Taiping; Wen, Juan

COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) epidemic has rapidly spread since its outbreak. By 24:00, July 19, China had reported 83,682 confirmed infectious cases of COVID-19, including 4,634 deaths. The prevention and control of COVID-19 remains extremely urgent. Owing to its strong infectivity and onset in populations, early detection of infectious cases of COVID-19 is of great significance to control the epidemic. Nevertheless, clinical experiences in nucleic acid testing (NAT) are limited. False negative results of NAT inconsistent with clinical diagnosis are often reported. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the sensitivity and specificity of NAT. This study aims to summarize the current situation and prospect of NAT application based on the lasted findings on COVID-19 infection. Meanwhile, potential methods are proposed to improve the validity of NAT, like improving sample quality. The review may provide references for clinical and experimental explorations on COVID-19.