ABSTRACT

The great concern stemming from the current COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for governments and international organizations around the world. Likewise, the diagnosis has played an important role in the prioritization processes, in particular, for the identification and follow-up of cases. In this context, PCR and serological tests have become the international standard; however, some limitations, as well as the scope of these techniques, must be understood in terms of population numbers. This comment seeks to clarify the interpretation of the results of these tests from a public health perspective.

中文翻译：

---

我们是否使用正确的方法来估计 COVID-19 病例的数量？

摘要

当前 COVID-19 大流行引起的极大关注一直是世界各国政府和国际组织面临的挑战。同样，诊断在确定优先顺序的过程中发挥了重要作用，特别是在病例的识别和跟踪方面。在此背景下，PCR和血清学检测已成为国际标准；然而，必须从人口数量的角度来理解一些限制以及这些技术的范围。本评论旨在从公共卫生的角度阐明对这些测试结果的解释。