Global Outlook

 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.  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 t...