According to a recent study conducted in Qatar by SMRC- (Sidra Medical and Research Center) a new variant in the genome of COVID-19 is identified that provides the test results that are negative yet false.
The researchers of SMRC claim that they have discovered a new variant and this happened when they were examining the coronavirus genetic sequence through a very common technique that is used as gene target for the detection of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, researchers also identified that the similar mutation was present in numerous samples that were extracted from the epidemiologically COVID-19 patients who were unrelated to each other nationwide.
According to the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, this study depicts the result that there are chances that some of the strains of COVID-19 that are spreading in the country can transmute and can also remain undetected in the diagnostic tests that are conducted for the results of coronavirus.
False or incorrect test results of Coronavirus could mislead the healthcare authorities and can also lead to an unauthentic as well as inaccurate number of the reported cases that are recorded on daily basis, according to the Clinical Molecular Microbiologist at the SMRC, Dr. Mohammad Rubayet Hasan.
Moreover, Dr. Hasan has also called on and requested the healthcare authorities as well as the governments worldwide to figure out and monitor this COVID-19 variants and he has also requested to ensure that the testing methods must be based on the multiple targets of gene in order to avoid the counterfeit or false results of the test.
However, due to this research Qatar has become the very first country to identify a variant of COVID-19 that could also depict a test result “false-negative.”
