A recently conducted study by the Sidra Medical and Research Center (SMRC) in Qatar have identified a new mutation in the genome of Coronavirus that provides false-negative test results.
Published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, the study claims that some of the COVID-19 strains spreading in Qatar can mutate and go undetected during diagnostic tests.
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SMRC researchers identified the new mutation while examining the genetic sequence of the Coronavirus in a commonly used gene target technique for COVID-19 detection. They found that the same mutation was also present in a number of samples extracted from epidemiologically unrelated COVID-19 patients across the country.
With this development, Qatar has become the first country to report a Coronavirus variant that could give false-negative test results.
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Dr. Mohammad Rubayet Hasan, Clinical Molecular Microbiologist at SMRC and lead investigator of the study, has said that incorrect COVID-19 test results could deceive healthcare authorities and lead to an inaccurate number of daily reported cases.
He has called on the governments and healthcare authorities worldwide to monitor Coronavirus mutations and ensure that testing methods are based on multiple gene targets to avoid possible false-negative results.
Waar gaye!
Loo Karlo Gaal…