![]() Its analysis suggested that the sensitivity of rapid tests to detect the Omicron variant was 37 percent, compared to 81 percent for Delta. The Ontario Science Table did review the sensitivity of rapid tests against the Delta and Omicron variants and found, in unpublished studies, that the sensitivity against Omicron was clearly lower than it was for Delta. ![]() The FDA does say, “early data suggests that antigen tests do detect the Omicron variant but may have reduced sensitivity,” but does not raise any specific issues or provide any data. Food and Drug Administration keeps an ongoing list of specific test kits that may have issues with new variants, but don’t specifically mention any rapid tests that have issues with the Omicron variant. The Omicron variant in particular had mutations on the S-gene that coded for the spike protein and might not be detected by some laboratory tests. There is a theoretical basis for this concern. (The new variant has not been around long enough to generate enough data, but the assumption is that it would behave the same way as Omicron, given their similarity.) It seems, from anecdotal experience, that we are seeing more false negatives during this wave, which has led to speculation that the tests may not perform as well against the Omicron variant and now BA.2. False positives with rapid tests are extremely rare, with one research letter in JAMA pegging the false positivity rate at 0.05% and many of these false positives were traced back to a single batch of tests, which suggests it was a specific quality control issue rather than a question of decreased test accuracy.īut while false positives are rare, false negatives are not. They are cheaper, more widely available, can be done at home and do not require medical personnel to administer them.īut, there is the issue of test accuracy. There are obviously several advantages to rapid tests. Rapid tests became, out of necessity, the standard testing strategy for the general population. But what is stymying many people this time around and making the whole issue more complicated is the issue of testing.Īfter the fifth wave, widespread PCR testing stopped because the system simply couldn’t cope. With COVID cases and hospitalizations rising, it still remains somewhat unclear how high they will go and how long it will last. It should be clear by this point that we are in a sixth wave driven by the BA.2 variant. This article was originally posted in the Montreal Gazette.
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