1 False positives in reverse transcription PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 Andrew N. Cohen1 *, Bruce Kessel2 1 Center for Research on Aquatic Bioinvasions, Richmond CA, USA 2 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI, USA * Correspondence: acohen@bioinvasions.com Abstract Background Large-scale testing for SARS-CoV-2 by