Russia's Sistema-BioTech company on Monday confirmed that a previously developed tracking test system was also able to detect new variants of the Covid-19 virus, including those reported in Britain.
"The research we conducted confirmed the possibility of detecting mutated variants, including those from Britain and others, using a test system developed by Sistema-BioTech," the Russian News Agency (TASS) quoted the company as saying.
According to Bernama, the test system can detect the 3CL proteinase gene, which is the most likely mutated gene.
"The new Covid-19 variant detected in Britain has the gene unchanged although there are 23 mutations accumulated in other genes. Therefore, the System-Biotech PCR test can detect infection effectively despite mutations, ”said the company.
According to the company, its experts have conducted research on the relevant viral spectrum, including the causative agent of atypical pneumonia 2003.
The new variant, which was first detected in the United Kingdom (UK) on December 14 last year, is believed to be 70% faster.
In a related development, Cambridge University professor Ravindra Gupta stated the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is still effective in preventing new UK variants with each dose but the same results may not apply to each new variant.
There have been concerns about the declining effectiveness of the vaccine in the South African variant which has led to vaccine companies such as Moderna starting to produce booster injections to prevent changes in the virus.
This week, the England Department of Health announced a small sample of variants from the UK had been found to contain new mutations that also existed in South African variants.
Preliminary research on the mutation is likely to help the virus seal the antibodies produced by the vaccine, thus making the vaccine less effective.
"All these viruses are becoming more immune to the immune system and vaccines," said Gupta.
