Am I infected with the omikron variant?
The omikron variant has also quickly gained a foothold in the Netherlands. Due to the rapid spread of this corona variant, strict measures have been announced and we are definitively in a lockdown. Many people are concerned about this omikron variant. If someone has tested positive for the coronavirus, we often get the question: ‘Am I infected with the omikron variant?’ We explain why we cannot answer this question.
From cotton swab to test result
The GGDs are testing people for the coronavirus. After the test result, they will receive the test result within 48 hours. This result can be positive or negative. The test sample is received with a cotton swab in the nose and throat and is sent to a laboratory for analysis after test administration. A lab technician analyzes the test sample and cannot see which variant someone is infected with. Only of positive or negative is. When people get the results, it is not yet known at all which variant of the coronavirus they are infected with.
More research to know variant
Further research is needed to determine which variant is involved in a positive test. We call this sequence analysis of sequencing. This type of research does not take place in the laboratories where the samples from the GGD are analysed, but is carried out under the coordination of the RIVM.
Sequencing is used to examine what the virus is like. In this way, the characteristic ‘building blocks’ of a particular variant can be mapped out. It’s a bit like DNA testing. Sequencing and expanding the data from this research provides valuable information about the different variants, and properties of the virus. This information is used in RIVM calculation models to predict the course of the pandemic and the effects of measures.
The research results are not shared with the test subjects. A test sample should no longer be soil bound to data from a positive tested individual during sequence analysis. This is for legal and privacy reasons. In short: we simply do not know who in the Netherlands is infected with which corona variant.