COVID-19 rapid tests still work against new variants – researchers keep ‘testing the tests,’ and they pass

Rapid tests are inexpensive, easy to use and give fast results, usually within 10 to 15 minutes. Violeta Stoimenova/E+ via Getty Images by Nathaniel Hafer, UMass Chan Medical School; Anuradha Rao, Emory University, and Apurv Soni, UMass Chan Medical School By September 2020, just six months after COVID-19 triggered shutdowns across the U.S., it was clear that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, had mutated from its original form. The question quickly arose whether existing rapid antigen tests could detect newly emerging variants. Using clinical samples obtained from diagnostic labs throughout the U.S. from 2020 to 2023, the National Institutes of Health, through its Variant Task Force, analyzed the effectiveness of more than 100 rapid antigen test kits on over 300 variants. The vast majority of the kits were able to detect new as well as prior previously known variants. We are a team of researchers who have spent the past few years researching COVID-19 tests for their accuracy and performance. We understand why the public may still have questions about whether these tests are reliable, particularly as new variants continue to appear. Here are answers to some of those questions: As of early March 2024, the JN.1 variant is...