How has RT-PCR Impacted Public Health Initiatives?

RT-PCR has had a significant impact on public health initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became the gold standard for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection, allowing for widespread testing and timely isolation of infectious individuals. This helped to curb the spread of the virus and informed public health policies. RT-PCR also facilitates genomic surveillance, aiding in the detection of new variants and informing vaccine development and effectiveness studies.