The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed a detection method for the new SARS-CoV-2 variant ‘Omicron’ and confirmed the validity of this method on Wednesday 22 December.
This is based on the RT-PCR technique, which is now widely used to detect Covid-19 cases; it could therefore be used in all laboratories that are already performing standard PCR tests.
It is faster and cheaper than sequencing and other currently available methods of detecting variants.
“The need for accurate diagnostics is as important than ever. The new testing methodology presented today will help to ensure that the Omicron variant is detected more quickly, and reduce the burden on the sequencing capabilities of Member States”, said Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, in a statement on Wednesday.
The Joint Research Centre had already announced on 13 December that it had “successfully validated [the new method] in silico, based on bioinformatics”. The Centre then invited “control laboratories worldwide” to validate this in vivo method on clinical samples.
On Wednesday, the Commission said it would present the new method to the Member States and the Health Security Committee without delay.
It also said that the modified reagent developed by the Centre could be ordered by the usual suppliers of PCR tests and “be implemented swiftly”. “Any laboratory that is carrying out PCR tests today will be able to adapt quickly”, the institution insisted. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)