Don’t worry, guys! Even with the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron on the rise… all types of screening including the antigen rapid test kits (RTK) are still able to detect positive COVID-19 cases!
Photo via The Star
According to NST, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the matter was confirmed by experts from the Institute for Medical Research (IMR), taking into account the functional mechanisms of antigen RTK and the Reverse transcription-polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).
He said all types of screening are still capable of detecting Omicron as the tests are made based on the presence of nucleocapsids or protein coverage that contain the COVID-19 virus gnome.
“RT-PCR and RTK are still capable of detecting Omicron, because all these screenings detect nucleocapsids, not nail proteins on the structure of the COVID-19 virus.
“Although Omicron is said to have 32 mutations of its nail protein, it has so far not brought any change or effect on the effectiveness and accuracy of screening tests,” he said.
Khairy added that further details on the matter will be informed later as Omicron is still new and there are many aspects that researchers still don’t know about.
Photo via Mint
On November 26th, the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated the variant B.1.1529 as a variant of concern (VOC) named Omicron.
This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, for example, on how easily it spreads or the severity of illnesses it causes.
This is very worrying! Please remember to take extra precautions, guys, especially if you’re travelling! Wear your face mask at all times, maintain physical distancing and wash or sanitize your hands regularly.
Stay safe.
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
