Rapid COVID test not keeping pace with new variants, scientists say – CTV
May 6, 2022
A new study has found that rapid antigen tests, which can be self-administered at home to monitor for COVID-19 infection, may not be keeping pace with emerging variants of concern that differ from the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.
The study, conducted by scientists out of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre (BIDMC), found that some rapid antigen tests may not be as effective at detecting different COVID-19 variants.
While rapid antigen tests remain a useful tool in detecting COVID-19 infections, the study’s findings suggest these tests will likely need “continuous assessment” and updating when taking into account virus variants.
The findings were published Thursday, in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
The main issue with rapid tests, scientists say, is they were developed with the original SARS-CoV-2 viral strain that emerged late in 2019. Since then, the virus has evolved numerous times and several viral variants of concern have emerged.
