The Omicron variant, first thought to originate in South Africa, quickly spread across the world, and has seen record infections across the UK along with the reintroduction of tighter restrictions.
Face coverings have once again become mandatory in shops and on public transport, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ushered in new restrictions following the Christmas and New Year period.
While Omicron has been reported to be highly infectious, there are several reports that it is milder, with one expert, Dr Mike Tildesley, suggesting it’s a ‘ray of light’ and a sign that we could start living with the virus like we do with the common cold.
With cases still soaring, how reliant should we be on lateral flows? Can they detect the Omicron variant?
Do lateral flow tests detect the Omicron variant?
Research from the US (which has yet to be peer-reviewed) suggests most Omicron cases were infectious ‘for several days’ before being detectable by an at-home lateral flow test.
The study tested 30 people during Omicron outbreaks at five different workplaces across the country.
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Participants, who were fully vaccinated, were all given both throat-swab PCR tests and nasal-based lateral flows during the course of the research.
At the beginning of the study, 28 out of 30 people returned false negative results via the lateral flow tests before eventually testing positive.
However, this is just one study, and as noted, has yet to be peer reviewed against wider data and the research was based on two at-home tests that are widely used in the US – Abbott BinaxNOW and Quidel QuickVue – neither of which are used in the UK.
Scientists at Goethe University’s Institute of Medical Virology, in Germany, have suggested that lateral flow tests produced by three major companies successfully detected Omicron in samples.
They include ACON’s Flowflex test, which is the main provider used for nose-only tests supplied by NHS Test and Trace.
Professor Christina Pagel, director of University College London’s Clinical Operational Research Unit, hailed the preliminary findings as ‘good news’.
Professor Rupert Beale of the Francis Crick Institute’s Cell Biology of Infection Lab warned that some types of lateral flow test could be less effective, although the ‘best guess is most of them will be’.
Newcastle-based company QuantuMDx Group Limited have also previously said they had carried out a ‘detailed analysis’ of Omicron’s mutations and are ‘confident that our tests and device remain able to detect all known variants’.
Lateral flow tests will not tell you whether you have the new variant rather than another Covid strain, as only PCR tests can be processed for DNA sequencing.
Should I take a throat swab instead of a nasal swab?
Some tests advise that a nasal swab is all that’s needed, but this could change as new data emerges.
Though nothing has been confirmed, some new reports suggest a throat swab is the best way to catch a positive Omicron case.
This is because it’s thought the Omicron variant may change the way the coronavirus replicates or congregates in the body.
In a December study that hasn’t been peer reviewed, South African researchers found that saliva tests were better at picking up Omicron than nasal tests — detecting 100% of cases, while nasal swabs were only 86% successful. With the Delta variant, it was the reverse: saliva swabs were 71% sensitive, whereas nasal swabs were 100% sensitive.
Usually, nasal swabs are recommended for respiratory illnesses because, as Sheldon Campbell, a professor at Yale School of Medicine told Business Insider, ‘The cells in the lining of the nose are much more similar to the cells deeper in the lungs.’
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