According to the ICMR, the current positivity criteria is based on the cycle threshold (CT), which is a measure of how soon after an RT-PCR test, the SARS-CoV-2 is detected in a sample.

RT-PCR is a  highly sensitive technique for the detection and quantitation of mRNA (messenger RNA).

PCR means polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

According to the ICMR, the current positivity criteria is based on the cycle threshold (CT), which is a measure of how soon after an RT-PCR test, the SARS-CoV-2 is detected in a sample.

As samples move through cycles, the sooner the virus is detected, the higher the viral load is supposed to be.

-All patients with a CT value of equal to or less than 35 may be considered positive, while those with a CT value greater than 35 may be considered negative.

-All samples with a CT value equal to or less than 35, which is seen as a poor sigmoidal curve, should be essentially retested.