RT-PCR kit to detect Omicron gets approval from DCGI; How OmiSure kit works?

RT-PCR Kit for covid-19: Indigenously developed RT-PCR kit- OmiSure- that will be able to detect Omicron variant has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India. The RT-PCR kit has been developed in India in partnership with Tata MD and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Dr. Balram Bhargava, the Director-General of ICMR while announcing the news also informed that the Omicron detecting RT-PCR kit can give results in just four hours. He further added that the Omicron variant has become the predominant circulating strain in the country and 108 Omicron related-deaths have been reported in India so far.

Omicron detecting RT-PCR kit has been developed in partnership with Tata MD and ICMR and it has been approved by DCGI. This kit will test will give results in 4 hours: Dr Balram Bhargava, DG,ICMR pic.twitter.com/CMjZyI9Mpe

— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2022

OmiSure: Important Points to know RT-PCR kit that can detect Omicron

1. OmiSure can detect the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal specimens during the RT-PCR tests.

2. The RT-PCR kit to detect Omicron is compatible with all standard Real-Time PCR Machines. The first target is based on S-gene dropout or S-gene Target Failure (SGTF) and the second target is based on S-gene mutation amplification (SGMA).

3. Omicron detecting RT-PCR kit can detect the new variant as well as the other variants that have been reported so far.

4. The test time of the RT-PCR kit is 85 minutes and the result time is 130 minutes.

What makes OmiSure different from other RT-PCR kits?

Currently, all the tests done to detect Omicron across the globe employ either SGTF (S-gene Target Failure) or SGMA (S-gene mutation amplification), however, this unique test was developed in India to detect Omicron combines both.

Therefore, the test has two checks in place for the Omicron detection without compromising the ability to detect other SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Currently, Omicron patients are detected only after the genome sequencing but this will be able to eliminate that step and detection can be done during the testing.

Omicron Cases in India

The total number of Omicron cases in India has gone up to 2,630, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 90, 928 with a daily positivity rate of 6.43%.

Maharashtra has been reporting the highest number of Omicron cases (797) while Delhi has the second-highest (464). So far, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh have reported 1 each Omicron case.

Read More: Omicron Cases in India Today: Check Full List of States that have reported Omicron Variant