What is CT Value Calculation in the RT PCR test report? Know details

The RT PCR app, developed by the Nation Informatics Centre for ICMR, helps Sample Collection Centres and sample collectors to upload test reports of the people. People can later download their RT PCR test report from the app or the website. The application is available on both iOS and Android app store platforms. The app provides interesting data on the test report such as the CT calculations. As many people have started downloading their reports, some are wondering about "what is CT Value Calculation in RT PCR test report?" If you have been wondering about the same, then do not worry, here is all you need to know about it.

What is CT Value Calculation in RT PCR test report?

CT Value Calculation represents iGenetic Diagnostics' newly launched venture which provides Cycle Threshold (CT) value on Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test reports. The Mumbai-based diagnostic laboratory provides the CT calculations to test reports of patients who tested positive for COVID-19. The Founder and MD of iGenetic Diagnostics, Arunima Patel said to Money Control that the CT value is mostly demanded by doctors and patients, and this why they are providing the value. However, Patel also mentioned that the CT value may not be clinically significant.

As per Patel, they give a disclaimer in the test reports which clearly mentions the limits of the CT value. However, many diagnostic lab chains have started providing CT value on their RT-PCR test report for COVID-19 positive patients. Also, ICMR has not yet mandated diagnostic labs to provide the CT calculations in the RT-PCR test reports.

According to iGenetic Diagnostics, multiple cycles of PCR tests are required to detect the virus and the number of cycles needed is called the cycle threshold or CT. So, if the CT value is lower, then the virus amount is high, and if the CT value is higher, then the virus amount is low. Knowing the CT value helps health workers to identify and isolate infectious people in which people with low virus amount are home quarantined and people with high virus amount are quarantined in a centre.

How to download RT PCR test report from the website?

• Go to the official RT PCR website - https://covid19cc.nic.in/ 
• Enter your User ID, password and captcha, and login into your account
• Now, enter your mobile number and OTP.
• Then, you will be able to download all the PDFs together.

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