Dear Ministry of Health,

I understand that the cycle threshold referred to in FYI https://fyi.org.nz/request/14173-amplifi...

is 40. Can you confirm that this value (40) is used in processing ALL tests done in New Zealand?

Could you explain why such a high value is being used?

Yours faithfully,

Virginia Crawford

Dear OIA Requests,

Further to my request above, I would like to draw your attention to the PCR handbook:

https://www.gene-quantification.de/real-...

If you look at page 25, you will see at the bottom of the page, the following:

"For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.”

Should the PCR process be used for testing Covid-19?

Yours sincerely,

Virginia Crawford

Dear OIA Requests,

Could you please direct me to the document that stipulates this (40 Ct), as my understanding is that the number of cycles can be anything from 20 onwards, with a MAXIMUM of 40, not that it SHOULD be 40.

Yours sincerely,

Virginia Crawford

Dear OIA Requests,

You have not responded to my further request dated 24th January, where I drew your attention to the bottom of Page 25 of the PCR handbook, where it says that the test is for research only and not for diagnostic purposes. This text also appears at the bottom of other odd numbered pages, not just page 25.

Yours sincerely,

Virginia Crawford

Dear OIA Requests,

I would like to draw your attention to the following:

Users of RT-PCR reagents should read the IFU carefully to determine if manual adjustment of the PCR positivity threshold is necessary to account for any background noise which may lead to a specimen with a high cycle threshold (Ct) value result being interpreted as a positive result.

The design principle of RT-PCR means that for patients with high levels of circulating virus (viral load), relatively few cycles will be needed to detect virus and so the Ct value will be low. Conversely, when specimens return a high Ct value, it means that many cycles were required to detect virus. In some circumstances, the distinction between background noise and actual presence of the target virus is difficult to ascertain.

This is a direct quote from the latest WHO notice for IVD users, viz

https://web.archive.org/web/202101200834...

It has also been stated by Anthony Fauci at various times that a Ct value over 35 is likely to lead to a unreliable result.

By the way, Dr Kary Mullis, who won the Nobel Prize for inventing the PCR process, was clear that it wasn’t meant as a diagnostic tool.

Yours sincerely,

Virginia Crawford

Dear OIA Requests,

In reference to your statement, viz

"SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing used in our accredited medical diagnostic laboratories have undergone rigorous validation for specific performance characteristics that include analytical and clinical sensitivity and specificity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2."

Using this test in the absence of clear clinical symptoms, is in clear violation of the original intention by the inventor of the PCR process. Not only that, but the efficacy of this process has been widely challenged and its use is now considered fraudulent.

Yours sincerely,

Virginia Crawford