中文On 3 December 2021, the World Health Organisation said Omicron has been detected in 38 countries, but there are no reported deaths so far from the new COVID-19 variant. The WHO issued a document, stating that the risk of the Omicron strain causing a surge of infections worldwide is "very high" and may cause "serious consequences" in some areas.
Super-variant strain Omicron
The first known confirmed Omicron infection was from a specimen collected on 9 November 2021. On 24 November, South Africa reported to the WHO for the first time the discovery of a new variant of the new coronavirus B.1.1.529. On 26 November 2021, the WHO designated the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern (VOC). This variant has been given the name Omicron.
More mutations compared to Delta, or cause greater risk of transmission
Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic. Preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other variants of concern (VOCs).
Epidemiological studies and monitoring data point to a spike in Omicron infections in South Africa that threaten to replace the dominant Delta strain. More research is needed to determine contagiousness.
How about its impact on nucleic acid testing kits?
The SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological and genomic data website, Outbreak.info, continues to update the sequencing results of the Omicron strains of the world.
Igenesis’s R&D team obtained the Omicron gene sequence for the first time, and compared the target amplification sequence information of the ORF1ab gene and N gene with the different variant strains (Alpha,Beta,Gamma,Delta,Omicron) by BLAST.
ORF1ab Gene Amplicon Blast Result
N Gene Amplicon Blast Result
Igenesis’s COVID-19 testing kits can effectively detect Omicron and other variants
At present, Igenesis’s R&D team has compared the target amplification sequence information of the ORF1ab gene and N gene with the different variant strains (Alpha,Beta,Gamma,Delta,Omicron) by BLAST. The team has also used pseudovirus and reference standards for verification, evaluating the kits’s accuracy and specificity for Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron detection. All results based the above experiments showed that our SARS-CoV-2(Covid-19) nucleic acid detection cartridge (Real-time reverse transicription PCR method) can effectively detect the above-mentioned COVID-19 variant strains.
As the global COVID-19 epidemic continues, Igenesis will continue to focus on the update of the COVID-19 variants, evaluate the detection capabilities of the COVID-19 products to help prevent and control the epidemic.
Post time: Dec-06-2021