Rapid tests reliably detect Omicron - Paul-Ehrlich-Institut publishes new results
Created: 03/24/2022, 15:15
Rapid corona tests are now part of everyday life for many.
© Florian Gaertner/imago
Quick tests also work with the Omicron variant.
The Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) checked 20 randomly selected antigen tests.
Langen - Rapid antigen tests detect Omicron just as well as earlier variants of the corona virus.
The Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) assumes this.
The PEI examined how well corona tests on Delta and the omicron variant work in 20 randomly selected corona tests.
This was tested on patient swabs and cell cultures.
Rapid antigen tests: no differences with Omikron
There were almost no differences in the two test series, reported project manager Micha Nüblig on Thursday, as reported by the dpa news agency.
How well the tests recognized Sars-CoV-2 depended on their respective sensitivity: more sensitive tests recognized both variants better, less sensitive tests recognized both variants worse.
Rapid corona tests - this is how reliably Omikron detects antigen tests
The PEI had already published a
“positive list” for rapid corona tests in January
.
At the time, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced a "positive list of tests that identify Omikron particularly well".
Rapid antigen tests: results can be transferred to professional tests
According to the PEI, the result should be transferrable to most professional tests and also to self-tests.
According to the PEI, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfARM) has asked the manufacturers of all reimbursable rapid antigen tests on the BfArM list for additional data.
The question was which areas of the virus protein the antibodies bind to.
If it is a region that is not mutated in the omicron variant, one can assume that the sensitivity is not impaired.
Of 428 returns so far, 385 have met this condition, with the remaining ten percent it is still unclear.
"Omicron detection according to the PEI bridging test"
A new column was introduced in the BfArM list on Thursday: "Omicron detection according to the bridging test of the PEI".
If there is a "yes" there, the test recognizes Omikron just as well.
According to the PEI, the manufacturers still have a few weeks to deliver the data.
If they do not do this or cannot prove sensitivity at Omikron, their products should be removed from the BfArM list of reimbursable tests.
According to the PEI, the self-tests for at home do not differ much from the professional tests: test cassettes and analytical properties are the same, said Nüblig.
The PEI therefore assumes that the sensitivity to omicron is also given here.
In general, antigen tests detect Sars-CoV-2 less well than PCR tests.
They only strike when the viral load is high and therefore in a smaller time window.
But what is better?
Throat or nose swab?
These errors lead to incorrect corona test results.
The Frankfurt virologist Sandra Ciesek tweeted that Omikron had hardly appeared that rapid antigen tests reacted reliably.
Rapid test positive but PCR test negative: what to do?
if the rapid test is positive but the PCR test is negative, the confusion is great at first.
What can be the reason for the discrepancy and what should be done?
There are clear recommendations.
(ml/dpa)
