Mayo Clinic | How testing has kept up with new COVID-19 variants @MayoClinic | Uploaded September 2024 | Updated October 2024, 5 days ago.
While COVID-19 continues to evolve, there is some good news when it comes to detecting the virus.
"The tests we've used over the last three or four years don't seem to be significantly impacted by the new variants," says Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
He says that the molecular, or PCR, tests processed in laboratories look at multiple parts of the genetic makeup of the virus, so even if there are mutations in one area, a test can still pick up the virus. "And the home antigen tests look for a different protein altogether from where we're seeing these mutations in the recent variants," says Dr. Binnicker.
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While COVID-19 continues to evolve, there is some good news when it comes to detecting the virus.
"The tests we've used over the last three or four years don't seem to be significantly impacted by the new variants," says Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
He says that the molecular, or PCR, tests processed in laboratories look at multiple parts of the genetic makeup of the virus, so even if there are mutations in one area, a test can still pick up the virus. "And the home antigen tests look for a different protein altogether from where we're seeing these mutations in the recent variants," says Dr. Binnicker.
____________________________________________
FOR THE PUBLIC: More health and medical news on the Mayo Clinic News Network. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org
FOR THE MEDIA ONLY: To access clean and NAT sound versions of this video on the Mayo Clinic News Network, register at newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/request-account
Mayo Clinic: mayocl.in/3tNMAdF
Like Mayo Clinic on Facebook: facebook.com/MayoClinic
Follow Mayo Clinic on Instagram instagram.com/mayoclinic
Follow Mayo Clinic on X, formerly Twitter: https://x.com/MayoClinic
Follow Mayo Clinic on Threads: threads.net/@mayoclinic