How do variations and mutations of COVID-19 affect the accuracy of our tests?
The new variant of the COVID-19 virus, known as B117, is evading some tests due to mutations that it has developed, which also allow it to spread faster. Dr. Fyodor Urnov, professor with the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute said some tests are more sensitive than others.
“Genes change all the time,” said Dr. Urnov, adding that viruses are no different.
Most of these variations are so small that they aren’t exceptionally significant.
Many tests do not rely on a single feature of the virus, but a series of distinguishing characteristics, called triple-redundant, meaning that the test searches for three separate features of the virus. However, the new B117 variant is different enough from the strains we already knew about that it has been able to evade identification in some tests that are less comprehensive.
Dr. Urnov noted that we have two compounding problems. “Some tests out there appear to miss the virus in virus-positive individuals who are asymptomatic,” and furthermore, “there’s a new variant, which has sort of erased it’s fingerprint, so you now have to look for other distinguishing features.”
It was also recently learned that testing company Curative’s tests are less sensitive than some others and may miss whether or not somebody has the virus, but Dr. Urnov said this is due to the testing capabilities not the new variant.
Dr. Urnov emphasized that the best way forward is to “vaccinate as many people as possible, and with different vaccines,” because different vaccines will account for different features.
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