Do Current COVID-19 Tests Still Detect Omicron?

Here’s how the current COVID-19 tests, whether they’re done by a lab or at-home, work against the latest variant

, have been reported in the U.S. yet, it’s only a matter of time. In fact, Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor on COVID-19 to President Biden, says it’s likely the virus is already in the country, given how muchas pandemic restrictions have started to lift in recent months.

For that, a doctor would have to send your sample to a lab that can then sequence genetically to look for the genetic signatures unique to Omicron. “This happens to be good fortune that this pattern can flag the presence of Omicron,” says Mark Stevenson, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Thermo Fisher. “It’s a good early warning system.” Clients using the company’s test in South Africa alerted Thermo Fisher last Wednesday that they were seeing those unusual patterns, even before the country’s health officials announced the spurt of new cases. Stevenson expects public health labs in Europe and the U.S.

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