Tata Medical and Diagnostics today said its OmiSure Covid-19 (RT-PCR) test has been upgraded to detect the Omicron (or BA.1) that has quickly become the dominant variant of the Covid-19 virus.
In an evaluation carried out by ICMR and the Virus Research & Diagnostics Laboratory, Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Mumbai, the upgraded OmiSure successfully detected BA.1, BA.1.1, and BA.2 sub-lineages of Omicron, the firm noted in a statement.
With this, the OmiSure kit is now capable of detecting all the sub-lineages of Omicron prolific in the country at present, the company said.
“We are glad to announce that OmiSure detects all omicron sub-lineages, including newer BA.1, BA.2 accurately and confirmed by ICMR. It is a testament to our strength that we upgraded the OmiSure within a week and OmiSure is the most economical variant testing platform to address the market needs,” TATA Medical and Diagnostics CEO and Managing Director Girish Krishnamurthy noted.
OmiSure RT-PCR test decreases the load on sequencing; allows healthcare authorities to assess the evolution of variants and take timely action to control spread.
Additionally, samples negative for Omicron on the OmiSure test can be prioritised for sequencing as the chances of detecting other variants and newer mutations are higher in these samples, it added.
Meanwhile, experts have said that RT-PCR still remains to be the ‘gold standard’ of COVID-19 testing.
“It’s very important to understand that to date the gold standard for testing and for early detection remains to be the RT-PCR test,” Dr. Arjun Dang, CEO of Dr Dangs Lab told news agency ANI.
Highlighting the importance of RT-PCR testing, the expert noted that there are two aspects to it — the timing of the test and the type of RT-PCR test that’s being performed.
With agency inputs
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