Apr 26, 2021 8:00 AM EDT
Genomic sequencing is one of the best defenses against potentially deadlier or more transmissible variants of the coronavirus. It’s also expensive, slow, and currently almost nonexistent in the United States.
So some epidemiologists are advocating for an easier, cheaper, and faster way to help track variants’ paths through the country: a souped-up version of widely available COVID-19 diagnostic tests that can flag samples with any problematic genetic tweaks.
The idea is to complement — not to replace — the U.S.’s slow-growing genomic sequencing capacity, since sequencing remains the gold-standard for virus surveillance. In Europe, the U.K. and Denmark already use these tests as part of their national virus-tracking systems. Several diagnostic testing companies, including Bio-Rad, Agena and Roche, have also developed their own variant-specific screens in recent months.