Medical Anon here.
I was just given a document from a colleague who works at a LARGE biotech company that makes one of the RT-PCR tests for "COVID". This document (on PAGE 12) shows that the PCT test kits will have cross-reactivity with FORTY TWO other pathogens, including: Influenza, the parainfluenzas, SARS, MERS, etc.
THIS IS WHERE THE INFLUENZA numbers went. Not only is any "Influenza-Like-Illness" being reported under "possible/probable COVID" stats, but these viruses are actually CAUSING POSITIVE COVID test results!
Here is the link for the document and on page 12 begins the list of 42 cross-reacting pathogens.
https://www.thermofisher.com/content/dam/LifeTech/Documents/PDFs/clinical/taqpath-COVID-19-combo-kit-full-instructions-for-use.pdf
Also, THERE WAS NO VIRUS isolate from which to make all these tests. The PCR tests were all made with several ISOLATES from the GENE BANK. Therefore, the RNA gene sequence that these tests are looking for is very common in MANY viruses and explains why the cross-reactivity is so high. Here is a screen shot of page 39 of an FDA document showing that there is NO SARS-COV2 viral isolate from which they made the PCR tests, but instead used a combination of isolates from the gene bank.
Here is the link for the FDA document. https://www.fda.gov/media/134922/download