The validity of Covid-19 tests has been brought into question with allegations that the qualitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method only tests for coronavirus, and not specifically Covid-19.

Other concerns include that PCRs only test for DNA, while Covid-19 uses RNA as its genetic material. So how accurate are these tests and how much do we know about the virus?

Guest: Dr Shameem Jaumdally, Medical virologist, and senior research scientist at UCT’s Lung Institute