Result	Interpretation
Positive	SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected — active infection confirmed
Negative	No viral RNA detected — no active infection (but may be early or late in course)
Inconclusive/Invalid	Test failed or ambiguous result — repeat testing recommended

Cycle threshold (Ct) value may be reported:

Low Ct (<25) = High viral load
High Ct (>30–35) = Lower viral load or late infection phase
(Note: Ct values are not standardized between labs and are not always reported clinically)