Zhitong Financial APP learned that Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (TMO.US) has confirmed that the TaqPath COVID-19 series combination kit and TaqPath COVID-19 CE-IVD RT-PCR kit used to detect novel coronavirus are not affected by the new B.1.1.529, that is, Omicron variants, and can achieve accurate test results.

The Omicron variant has more than 30 mutations in the spike protein alone. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that the use of S gene targeting failure detected by PCR as an alternative technology for the detection of this mutation helps to detect and identify Omicron.

It is understood that the new mutated virus was first found in South Africa, and now more than 10 countries in the world have reported cases of infection with the virus.

It is reported that in addition to the initial development of TaqPath COVID-19 detection reagents, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc also developed TaqPath COVID-19 2.0 detection reagents, using more advanced detection design to enhance the accuracy of the detection of emerging mutants.

Tulio De Oliveira, head of South Africa's Center for epidemic response and Innovation (CERI), has previously said: "Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc's test kit enables us to identify samples that show S gene deletion and detect cases that may contain new variants."