Companies warned not to make false claims that their ATK kits can identify Omicron variant

[webfact]

 

By: Natthaphon  Sangpolsit

    

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that there are no ATK test kits on the market that can accurately detect the Omicron variant and any companies who make this claim could be charged with false advertising.

 

According to FDA Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Surachoke Tangwiwat, an online advertisement claiming that its Antigen Test Kit, or ATK, can detect the Omicron coronavirus strain was discovered recently.

 

He stated that the FDA sent a notice to the company and warned them not to make such a claim because the ATK test is merely a preliminary measure to detect the virus and cannot identify the strain that the tester has infected.

 

The Deputy secretary-general said that there are currently no studies on the differences in the quality of test kits from each manufacturer.

 

However, he stated that these FDA-certified ATK kits can detect the virus regardless of mutations, as certain kits approved during the spread of the Delta variant have detected the virus despite being a different strain.

 

He also guaranteed that regulators would thoroughly test these goods before allowing them for market usage.

 

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-- © Copyright NNT 2022-01-04

 

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[Gsxrnz]

Umm.....so if the official word is that all current kits can't detect OmiwanKinobee, why are all the numptees running around testing everyone when a negative result could be Omiwan positive?

 

And by implication, if one tests positive on a test does that mean that one must have Alpha or Delta?

 

This is as bad as a pre-pubescent girl shopping for tampons and her first eye liner - spoilt for choice, too many brands, too many colors, too little or too much absorbency., and what's the piece of string for Mum?

 

Oh the dilemma of it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RandiRona]

You have been warned! Only Govt can make that claim!!!

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

Umm.....so if the official word is that all current kits can't detect OmiwanKinobee, why are all the numptees running around testing everyone when a negative result could be Omiwan positive?

 

And by implication, if one tests positive on a test does that mean that one must have Alpha or Delta?

 

This is as bad as a pre-pubescent girl shopping for tampons and her first eye liner - spoilt for choice, too many brands, too many colors, too little or too much absorbency., and what's the piece of string for Mum?

 

Oh the dilemma of it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What they did not make clear is that a rapid test identifies a covid infection but cannot distinguish which variant it is. To discover the variant a PCR test can identify the Omicron variant via a drop out S gene, although a full sequence confirms it.

[Gsxrnz]

1 minute ago, Bkk Brian said:

What they did not make clear is that a rapid test identifies a covid infection but cannot distinguish which variant it is. To discover the variant a PCR test can identify the Omicron variant via a drop out S gene, although a full sequence confirms it.

Because a Thai with English as a second language does not fully comprehend the fine distinction between the meaning of the words "detect" and "distinguish".

[Bkk Brian]

6 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

Because a Thai with English as a second language does not fully comprehend the fine distinction between the meaning of the words "detect" and "distinguish".

LOL or it could be the other way round, the announcement was made in Thai and the translated article did not pick up the finer details

[Bluespunk]

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

He also guaranteed that regulators would thoroughly test these goods before allowing them for market usage.

Ah huh…

[KannikaP]

Does it really matter which variant you have if the result is positive.?  DO NOT tell anyone and stay isolated until you get a Negative result.

[Gandtee]

36 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

Umm.....so if the official word is that all current kits can't detect OmiwanKinobee, why are all the numptees running around testing everyone when a negative result could be Omiwan positive?

 

And by implication, if one tests positive on a test does that mean that one must have Alpha or Delta?

 

This is as bad as a pre-pubescent girl shopping for tampons and her first eye liner - spoilt for choice, too many brands, too many colors, too little or too much absorbency., and what's the piece of string for Mum?

 

Oh the dilemma of it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, what is the point of taking the test?????

[ukrules]

3 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Does it really matter which variant you have if the result is positive.?  DO NOT tell anyone and stay isolated until you get a Negative result.

Exactly, it detects covid, who gives a <deleted> which variant it is?

[Megasin1]

My daughter (in UK) didn't feel well and tested herself with a flow test every day for a week, all negative. A pcr test then indicated a positive. I have heard that flow tests dont detect omicron and this would seem to be the case. You can now throw your arms in the air, panic, shout and run about, or just carry on as normal (the new normal) and cross your fingers. BTW she had received 3 Pfizer and has had symptoms like a mild to medium flu, touch wood.... ????????????

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that there are no ATK test kits on the market that can accurately detect the Omicron variant and any companies who make this claim could be charged with false advertising.

So why are people being asked to self test using ATK's before returning to work.. if the Omicron variant is the one they are most worried about?

[Paradise Pete]

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

Exactly, it detects covid, who gives a <deleted> which variant it is?

One reason is that recovering from Omicron also confers resistance to Delta. Recovering from Delta, however, does not protect against Omicron.

[Stargeezr]

One other thing about COVID, is that there is a lot more plastic ending up in the garbage.

The green people must be pulling their hair out in frustration.  Same for the people who say that we will not need

oil as much in the future, look at how many products are made from oil, it is staggering.

  Trying to find PCR test kits are not always easy. 

[Meat Pie 47]

19 minutes ago, Stargeezr said:

One other thing about COVID, is that there is a lot more plastic ending up in the garbage.

The green people must be pulling their hair out in frustration.  Same for the people who say that we will not need

oil as much in the future, look at how many products are made from oil, it is staggering.

  Trying to find PCR test kits are not always easy. 

There are green people in Thailand?

[Trip Hop]

21 hours ago, Megasin1 said:

My daughter (in UK) didn't feel well and tested herself with a flow test every day for a week, all negative. A pcr test then indicated a positive. I have heard that flow tests dont detect omicron and this would seem to be the case. You can now throw your arms in the air, panic, shout and run about, or just carry on as normal (the new normal) and cross your fingers. BTW she had received 3 Pfizer and has had symptoms like a mild to medium flu, touch wood.... ????????????

It depends on the test manufacturer? In the UK, the majority of the free ATKs are the Chinese made Innova or Flowflex, which I wouldn’t trust to detect anything?  These have somehow been given emergency use authorisation despite the FDA in the states, stating that they are not fit for purpose?

 

There are other British made LFTs that have been independently verified to detect Omicron, are recognised to be ‘best in class’ and have additional been awarded the CE mark. However, remarkably these seem to be held up in the UK’s government’s approval process?

 

It’s all turning into a bit of a stink in the UK at the moment considering the above, the well publicised shortage of LFTs and the government’s apparent stance to support Chinese LFTs over their far superior home grown competitors?