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US tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start - Associated Press

US tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start - Associated Press

US tracking of virus variants has improved after slow start - Associated Press
Nov 30, 2021 1 min, 15 secs

After a slow start, the United States has improved its surveillance system for tracking new coronavirus variants such as omicron, boosting its capacity by tens of thousands of samples per week since early this year.

To find and track new versions of the coronavirus, scientists analyze the genetic makeup of a portion of samples that test positive.

Contributing to the effort are nearly 70 state and local public health labs, which are sequencing 15,000 to 20,000 specimens each week.

Still, about two dozen countries are sequencing a larger proportion of positive samples than the U.S., said Dr.

Some states are sequencing only about 1% of samples while others are in the range of 20%, noted Dr.

If a PCR test is positive for only two of the three target genes — a so-called S-dropout test result — it’s a marker for omicron even before the extra step of genetic sequencing to prove it.

He said other variants also have sparked this quirk in PCR test results, but not the delta variant.

“You don’t need to sequence more than a few percent of positive cases to get a feel for how quickly it’s growing,” he said.

government officials haven’t exercised the authority to force people to quarantine if they test positive for worrisome variants.

“I think it’s important to track variants, but I don’t think it’s practical to think that we’re going to be able to sequence quickly and broadly enough to stop a variant in its tracks,” Beckman said

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