The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said rapid COVID-19 tests could be less accurate when testing someone with the new Omicron variant. Rapid tests, including the very commonly used antigen tests, can detect the Omicron variant, “but may have reduced sensitivity,” the FDA said in a statement on Dec. 28. The FDA’s findings regarding at-home tests were based on preliminary studies conducted by the agency and the National Institutes of Health’s RADx program. “Prior to completing these live virus tests, RADx conducted initial laboratory tests using heat-inactivated samples for some of the currently available antigen tests, which were able to detect the Omicron variant, with similar performance when detecting other variants,” the federal health agency said. “Heat-inactivated samples are patient samples with Omicron variant that have been heat-treated so that the virus is no longer live.” However, the FDA said that people shouldn’t avoid using antigen tests despite the …
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