Indonesia: Covid-19 test results questioned as total goes above 307,000; death toll at 11,253

Medical workers prepareing to take swab samples of residents partaking in a Covid-19 testing session organised by state lender BNI at the South Tangerang Health Agency office. - The Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, Oct 5 (The Jakarta Post/ANN): While recent reports have called the reliability of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests into question, experts agree that they remain the best tests for Covid-19 but acknowledge that various factors affect results.

Recently, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), whose significant involvement in the country's pandemic response has raised questions and criticism from civil society organizations, rejected a report by Tempo magazine that its PCR tests were inaccurate.