LAUSR

Ct values are commonly used as proxies of SARS-CoV-2 “viral load”. Since coronaviruses are positive single stranded RNA ((+)ssRNA) viruses, current RT-qPCR target amplification does not distinguish replicative from transcriptional RNA. Although analyses of Ct values remain informative, equating them with viral load may lead to flawed conclusions as it is presently unknown whether (and to what extent) variation in Ct reflects variation in viral load or in gene expression.