Here is your smoking gun:

Most rRT-PCRs are qualitative (i.e. target is detected or not detected with no target copy number reported), not quantitative (target copy number per unit volume of specimen matrix or per reaction is reported). In isolation, Ct values provide a relative measure of viral quantity in the specimen, but do notprovide the actual quantity. The Ct value can potentially provide a measure of viral copies if standards of different known quantities are included in the same run and tested in parallel to the clinical specimens.

They do not do positive controls. No negative controls either, or I am not seeing them. I am sorry, this is not acceptable even for a third-rate journal, much less for making life-and-death decisions.