Skip to main content

What Is CoVarScan? A New Covid-19 Test That Can Detect All Variants In Hours

 United States scientists have developed a new Covid-19 test that can identify all current variants of Covid-19 accurately within hours. The test, named CoVarScan, can detect all current variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by detecting the signatures of eight hotspots on the virus.

The researchers at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in the US published the findings in the journal Clinical Chemistry. The researchers tested samples collected from more than 4,000 patients. They found out that the test was as accurate as other methods used to diagnose the deadly virus. The test successfully differentiated between all current variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused Covid-19. 

Also read :WHO warns Asia-Pacific nations to prepare for Omicron variant surge

Jeffrey SoRelle, an assistant professor at UT Southwestern, and senior author of the study said "Using this test, we can determine very quickly what variants are in the community and if a new variant is emerging.”

In most Covid-19 cases, scientists use genome sequencing to determine the variant of Covid-19. However, this process takes a lot of time and it is quite expensive. Other tests for Covid-19 only detect the surface of the virus and don't provide information to identify the variant.

Also read : India: Importance of the Reopening of Kartarpur Corridor After 1.5 years

How does CoVarScan work? 

The CoVarScan relies on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to measure the RNA at eight regions of SARS-CoV-2. 

Also read :What Is CoVarScan? A New Covid-19 Test That Can Detect All Variants In Hours

During the research, the CoVarScan had 96 percent sensitivity and 99 percent specificity as compared to genome sequencing. The CoVarScan test detected eight regions of SARS-CoV-2. It also detected small mutations to measure the length of repetitive genetic regions. 

The Omicron variant rapidly became the world’s dominant variant of Covid-19. Reportedly, some experts believe that future Covid-19 variants will eventually weaken even if the virus grows more infectious. However, scientists still need to answer whether or not the new variant will be deadlier. 

Also read :What Is CoVarScan? A New Covid-19 Test That Can Detect All Variants In Hours

In January, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's Covid-19 technical lead, said that the new variant could be more transmissible. 

CoVarScan relies on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to measure the RNA at eight regions of SARS-CoV-2


Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bangladesh Military Expresses Discontent Over Chinese Weapons; Reports 'Sub-Standard' and Faulty Parts

  Bangladesh, a traditional buyer of Chinese military equipment, has raised grievances with Beijing regarding the delivery of defective components and technical malfunctions in its imported military hardware. This issue is not unique to Bangladesh, as other nations like Myanmar have also encountered problems with Chinese fighter jets, according to an ET report. Experts in the Chinese defense industry argue that Beijing lacks the expertise to manufacture highly sophisticated military hardware and is not yet considered a top-tier producer of modern defense equipment. They claim that much of China's weapon systems are based on outdated technology copied from the West. Developing countries often opt for Chinese weapons due to their lower cost compared to similar systems from Western countries. China sells arms through state-run export organizations like the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), NORINCO, and CVIC. Sources familiar with the matter told ET that the Bangladesh mil...
Post a Comment
Read more

UAE-India CEPA Committee inks settlement with Indian business body

 The UAE-India Cepa Committee (UICC) marked a reminder of grasping (MoU) with the Indian Office of Business (ICC) on Thursday, beginning an essential organization to reinforce monetary and exchange ties between the UAE and India. In arrangement with their separate commands, the UICC and the ICC will synergise endeavors, assets, and thoughts, and work together on expanding mindfulness inside the two nations of the critical capability of the UAE-India respective monetary association. The MoU lays out an expansive based organization between the members, zeroed in on the public advancement of the UAE-India two-sided monetary association and the UAE-India Cepa specifically. The two associations will team up on expanding mindfulness inside the UAE and India with respect to the huge capability of the reciprocal financial organization, featuring open doors for UAE and Indian organizations to use the UAE-India Cepa, and activating key UAE and Indian confidential area partners to help expand...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Impact of Islamist Agendas on Governance and State Stability

  The current emergence of Islamist groups in Syria most especially Hayat Tahir al-Sham has raised damaging discourses concerning their goals as well as the future of Syria. One of them is their operational topping in the seizing of state institutions, which if achieved, will really alter the socio-political landscape of the Syria in a big way. New policies as the reform of the education system show how HTS tries to exercise control over institutions. The changes in curriculum proposed are eradicating all references to Assad’s regime, changing the religious material, and erasing concepts like evolution. Opponents state that these changes insert an Islamists’ attributes, which might completely eliminate Syrian secular learning legacy and make the divides in society wider. The Islamists continue with the appointment of people with extremists linkages to other strategic governmental positions, the above strategies confirm. For example, the appointment of Shadi al-Waisi, who used to be...
Post a Comment
Read more