Multiplex Real-Time Reverse Transcription PCR for Influenza A Virus, Influenza B Virus, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2
Bo Shu, Marie K. Kirby, William G. Davis, Christine Warnes, Jimma Liddell, Ji Liu, Kai-Hui Wu, Norman Hassell, Alvaro J. Benitez, Malania M. Wilson, Matthew W. Keller, Benjamin L. Rambo‐Martin, Yamundow Camara, Jörn Winter, Rebecca Kondor, Bin Zhou, Stacey E. Spies, Laura Rose, Jonas M. Winchell, Brandi Limbago, David E. Wentworth, John Barnes
Abstract
A n outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, China, was reported to the World Health Organization on December 31, 2019 (1). Researchers determined that the illness, later known as coronavirus disease (COVID-19), was caused by a previously unidentifi ed betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (2). SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spread around the world, and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic (3). By January 2021, SARS-CoV-2 had infected >96 million persons and caused >2 million deaths worldwide (4).