With fears growing over mutated strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that have spread from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil, Innova Medical Group, Inc. provided some relief this week with confirmation that its antigen test kits are capable of identifying all three.
“As these dangerous strains show signs of increased transmisablity across communities, the global effort to eliminate COVID-19 requires frequent, comprehensive, and equitable testing that can detect these emerging strains,” Daniel Elliott, president and CEO of Innova Medical Group, said. “We’re proud to supply our partners around the world with cost-effective, readily available tests that can successfully detect and track the spread of multiple strains of the virus and ultimately play a major role in assisting the global health community in stamping out this pandemic.”
The new strains have proven to be more contagious than the disease that already launched a global pandemic last year, and in some cases, potentially more deadly and vaccine-resistant. Innova confirmed that its SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Tests have successfully detected the mutated strains over the last few weeks, thanks to what it analyzes within the virus.
Whereas the virus is morphing its RNA to regularly generate new variants, Innova’s test looks for multiple proteins within the virus, potentially sniffing out those new variants. Innova followed this claim by noting that it can produce more than 10 million tests per day and intends to ramp up to approximately 50 million tests per day by spring to meet ever-rising demand.