New Covid-19 test can identify all variants

Researchers noted that the CoVarScan test detects small mutations to measure the length of repetitive genetic regions that tend to grow and shrink as the virus evolves. — Photo: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/dpa

The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern researchers have created a rapid Covid-19 test that can identify different variants of the coronavirus in as little as four hours.

The researchers hope doctors can use their test, called CoVarScan, to tailor Covid-19 treatments to patients based on which variant the patients have.