Covid-19: Roche develops new research test kits for Omicron variant

Roche's newly acquired subsidiary TIB Molbiol has developed three new test kits to help researchers detect mutations in the new Omicron variant of coronavirus, Roche said on Friday. 

Governments around the world are urgently scouring databases for recent cases of COVID-19 infections, screening travellers and decoding the viral genomes of the new variant as they try to measure how far it has spread  

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified Omicron as a SARS-CoV-2 "variant of concern", saying it might spread more quickly than other forms. 

"We are able to offer a test that can specifically identify the novel B.1.1.529 Omicron