Quidel Corporation, a provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, cellular-based virology assays and molecular diagnostic systems said that its antigen tests continue to detect Covid-19 variants such as Omicron.

According to Douglas Bryant, Quidel’s President and CEO, “At Quidel, we continuously monitor the evolution and activity of Covid-19 variants in circulation, and the Omicron variant is no exception. Recent testing using live South African samples confirmed that our QuickVue At-Home OTC Covid-19 Test and our Sofia SARS Antigen FIA are detecting the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

On December 22, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicated that data generated in preliminary RADx laboratory studies, with heat-inactivated Omicron samples, suggested that the QuickVue antigen tests are able to detect the Omicron variant with similar performance as with other variants. Additional testing has now been completed by the same laboratory using live virus. These data also suggest that the QuickVue antigen tests are able to detect the live Omicron variant with similar performance as with other variants.