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WHAT EFFECT DO MUTATIONS HAVE ON THE RELIABILITY OF COVID-19 RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS?

It is therefore important to use a rapid antigen test that is not based on the spike protein. As with the Testsealabs rapid antigen test, the nucleocapsid protein is often used here. This protein lies inside the virus and is bound to its RNA.

This nucleocapsid protein is not changed by the mutation in the spike protein. According to the current state of science, this variant can also be detected using rapid tests such as the COVID-19 antigen rapid test. However, only general proof of the infection is possible and no statement as to whether a specific virus mutation is present. The detection of certain mutations is therefore much more complicated and depends on laboratory-based methods such as PCR tests or sequencing.
Learn more:

[1] Robert Koch Institute: SARS-CoV-2: Basic virological data and virus variants
[2] Robert Koch Institute: FAQ COVID-19 vaccination

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