Rapid COVID Tests May Be Less Accurate With Omicron, FDA Says

Omicron is dodgy.

Rapid COVID-19 tests may be less effective at detecting the Omicron variant than earlier strains of the virus, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.

“The finding was gleaned from preliminary studies conducted by the FDA in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health’s RADx program on the performance of the at-home tests on the heavily mutated Omicron variant,” the New York Post reported.

“Early data suggests that antigen tests do detect the omicron variant but may have reduced sensitivity” at detecting positive cases, the FDA said in a Tuesday statement. “The FDA and RADx are continuing to further evaluate the performance of antigen tests using patient samples with live virus.”

But the FDA didn’t urge people to avoid using antigen tests.

“The FDA continues to authorize the use of these tests as directed in the authorized labeling and individuals should continue to use them in accordance with the instructions included with the tests,” the agency said. “Antigen tests are generally less sensitive and less likely to pick up very early infections compared to molecular tests.”

The FDA did urge follow-up testing for those who test negative with a rapid antigen test but are experiencing symptoms. “If a person tests positive with an antigen test, they should self-isolate and seek follow-up care with a health care provider to determine the next steps,” the FDA said.

But many who contract the virus will never know. A recent study said that while the Omicron variant could infect some 140 million Americans by March, the majority of people who contract the variant might be asymptomatic.

“We are expecting an enormous surge in infections … so, an enormous spread of Omicron,” said Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, according to USA Today.

“Total infections in the U.S. we forecast are going from about 40% of the U.S. having been infected so far, to having in the next two to three months, 60% of the U.S. getting infected with Omicron,” he said.

But the researchers at the institute said that while the variant appears to be more contagious than the Delta variant, it does not appear to be as strong. They predict Omicron will lead to fewer deaths and hospitalizations. “Omicron’s hospitalization rate is about 90 to 96 percent lower than Delta, which rampaged through much of the US in August,” the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.

What’s more, up to 90% of those who contract the variant will never know they have Omicron, the Mail reported.

“The majority will show no symptoms and have fewer hospitalizations and deaths compared to previous surges as Omicron is believed to be milder,” the U.K. paper reported.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which operates much like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that those who contract Omicron are less likely to become severely ill compared to people who get the Delta variant, according to the data, Politico reported.

Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent, and ran the Drudge Report from 2010 to 2015. Send tips to [email protected].

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