Omicron or Delta: New COVID-19 Test Can Identify The Exact Variant In Minutes

Researchers at the University of Florida claimed to have developed a new test that can quickly determine if patients have caught COVID-19 and, in particular, which of the five variants they’ve been infected with. 

The team used a new heat-loving CRISPR technology, which helps find and target a specific segment of genetic material within a cell, to quickly and accurately diagnose the virus and identify if it’s of the alpha, beta, gamma, delta, or omicron variant. 

“For the medical and research community, knowing which variants are emerging is extremely important,” said Piyush Jain, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. 

“If an especially serious variant like delta or a genetically similar variant, such as deltacron, arises in the future, work like this discovery will help us track it earlier,” he explained. 

At the moment, according to the university, tests for the varying strains of COVID-19 typically take days to perform, often not allowing patients to know exactly which variant they’re suffering from. 

The latest version of the test could allow for simpler testing procedures on a wider scale, especially as the team has come up with one that can be used at commercial testing centers or even by patients at home. 

Impressively, the study reportedly showed that across hundreds of clinical samples, all five variants were detected with 97% accuracy within 30 minutes. 

Going forward, the scientists are working to bring the new test to market at an affordable price, and are working to establish a startup that will find partners to manufacture and commercialize the product for consumers. 

[via Futurity and University of Florida, cover image via University of Florida]