A New Approach for Active Coronavirus Infection Identification by Targeting the Negative RNA Strand- A Replacement for the Current Positive RNA-based qPCR Detection Method

This manuscript describes the development of an alternative method to detect active coronavirus infection, in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The pandemic, which was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has had a significant impact on global health as well as on the economy and daily life in the world. The current positive RNA-based detection systems are unable to discriminate between replicating and non-replicating viruses, complicating decisions related to quarantine and therapeutic interventions. The proposed method targets the negative strand of the virus and has the potential to effectively distinguish between active and inactive infections, which could provide a more accurate means of determining the spread of the virus and guide more effective public health measures during the current pandemic.