New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) has said RT-PCR tests can detect infection with Omicron, and that other studies are being conducted to see whether other test types can detect the Covid-19 variant of concern.
In an update on Sunday about the effectiveness of current tests, the WHO said: "The widely used PCR tests continue to detect infection, including infection with Omicron, as we have seen with other variants as well. Studies are ongoing to determine whether there is any impact on other types of tests, including rapid antigen detection tests."
The Omicron variant, which was first detected earlier this month in South Africa, has been declared a variant of concern by the WHO.
Due to this classification, Omicron has been put into to the most troubling category of Covid-19 variants, along with the dominant strain Delta, and the weaker strains Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
Borders across the globe are being shut due to the spread of this variant of concern. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday the world was in a "race against time" to understand the new Covid variant and, if needed, modify vaccines to counter it, AFP reported.
Many countries have been forced to reimpose measures due to fears that Omicron is highly infectious.
The WHO said in an update that it was not yet clear whether Omicron spreads more easily from person to person, or whether the new variant leads to more severe disease compared to other strains.
"It is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants, including Delta. Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron. There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants," the WHO said in the update.
The UN health agency said in another update it was working with technical partners to understand the potential impact of the variant on existing counter-measures, including vaccines.
In an update about the effectiveness of current treatments, the WHO said corticosteroids and IL6 receptor blockers will still be effective for managing patients with severe COVID-19, and that other treatments will be assessed to see if they are still as effective against Omicron.
The WHO said it is coordinating with a large number of researchers around the world to better understand Omicron, and that more information will emerge in the coming days and weeks.