SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus of COVID-19. For accurate and sensitive coronavirus detection viral RNA has to be isolated from the sample and analysed by RT-qPCR.

RNA extraction is a delicate process, both cells and the environment around them are full of enzymes that degrade the nucleic acids. The kits used to do these extractions contain sterile buffers, solutions that break open, or lyse cells, and a way of separating the RNA from the DNA, protein, and other macromolecules found in cells.