At the time of writing, there have been almost a quarter of a million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide. The number of deaths is approaching 10,000. Across the world, countries are scrambling to increase their testing capacity for the virus — how are these tests carried out and how do they work?
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/How-does-the-coronavirus-test-work.png?resize=370%2C208&ssl=1)