Omicron PCR Tests Failing To Flag Up ‘Stealth' Version
The Guardian|December 08, 2021
Scientists say they have identified a “stealth” version of Omicron which cannot be distinguished from other coronavirus variants using the PCR tests that public health officials deploy to gain a quick picture of the spread around the world.
Ian Sample
Omicron PCR Tests Failing To Flag Up ‘Stealth' Version

Yesterday cases in the UK of the original Omicron variant, known as B.1.1.529, were reported to have risen by 101 to 437, and Scotland announced a return to working from home for the public.

The stealth variant has many mutations in common with the standard Omicron, but it lacks a particular genetic change which allows lab-based PCR tests to be used as a rough and ready means of flagging up probable cases. The stealth variant can still be detected as Covid by the usual tests, and identified as Omicron through genomic testing, but likely cases are not flagged up by routine PCR tests, which give quicker results.

This story is from the December 08, 2021 edition of The Guardian.

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This story is from the December 08, 2021 edition of The Guardian.

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