Cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 are rising across Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK.
Because of this, people may be more inclined to use lateral flow tests more regularly to check whether they've been infected with the new variant.
But concerns have been raised as to whether lateral flow tests, also known as rapid antigen tests, are capable of detecting the newest variant.
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There have also been growing reports of people repeatedly testing negative for Covid-19 on lateral flow tests but then test positive after taking a PCR test.
This is because PCR tests are done in laboratories and are more thorough than lateral flow tests.
Lateral flow tests also use antibodies present in the nasal passage to detect Covid-19 while PCR tests examine the virus' genes, making it more accurate.
Can lateral flow tests detect the Omicron variant?
According to the UK Health Security Agency, which published a briefing document on December 17, lateral flow tests used by the UK Test and Trace service were more than capable of detecting Omicron.
The document states that while Omicron has "a single mutational difference from other Sars-CoV-2 variants" the risk of lateral flow tests being unable to detect the newest variant "was considered low".
Despite this, a lateral flow test cannot confirm what variant of Covid-19 you may be infected with, only showing a simple negative or positive result.
Currently, PCR tests are the most accurate way available to the public to determine which variant of Covid-19 is present in the body.
Therefore, if you test positive on a lateral flow test, the best safe practice is to apply for a PCR test so you can determine which variant of the virus you have been infected with.
Regardless of which variant of Covid-19 someone is infected with, the rules still remain that an individual must start self-isolation for 10 days immediately following a positive test result.
