THE Global Fund has said that the accuracy of existing molecular and rapid tests is uncompromised by COVID-19 variant Omicron and is insisting that diagnostic testing to detect the new variant is critical to tracking its spread and putting in place measures to halt transmission.

“The identification and tracking of new variants, including Omicron, rely on testing and sequencing capacity, which continue to be under-resourced in low- and middle-income countries,” the Global Fund stated in a news release on Saturday.

According to the fund, a major issue is that many countries are still struggling with testing capacity for COVID-19, including genomic sequencing.

“Across Africa, capacity for testing has been complicated by supply chain issues and high costs for essential test reagents as well as limited funding to procure diagnostics,” the Global Fund said. “Testing rates in some countries remain worryingly low, creating blind spots where new variants like Omicron can spread unnoticed. Currently only 22.9 per cent of tests administered worldwide have been used in low-and middle-income countries, despite these countries making up half of the global population.”

Noting that it has supported low-and middle-income countries with US$718 million for the procurement of COVID-19 diagnostic tests, the fund said that the diagnostics pillar of ACT-Accelerator is working to ensure equitable access to testing tools; stimulate rapid and effective take-up of testing in countries; and drive the development and expansion of affordable, transformative, digitally integrated tests.

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. The initiative is run by the fund in collaboration with the Foundation for Innovative new Diagnostics (FIND) and the World Health Organization.

The identification of the Omicron variant has sparked growing concerns over its unusually high number of mutations and rapid spread in South Africa. The variant was first identified in Botswana and South Africa and appears to be spreading rapidly in South Africa, with new cases also now emerging through importations in Asia and Europe.

The new variant has over 30 mutations in the spike protein — double that of the dominant Delta variant — which has raised concerns about vaccine efficacy. Some of these mutations have been linked to enhanced transmissibility and the capacity of variants to evade immune responses.

Preliminary evidence also suggests that the Omicron variant has a greater capacity to reinfect people compared with other variants.

The Global Fund said that work is ongoing to properly assess the threat posed by Omicron and the likelihood that it may drive a new global wave of COVID-19.

“The emergence of new COVID-19 variants is inevitable as time goes on,” FIND Chief Executive Officer Bill Rodriguez has said. “High rates of testing and sequencing allow us to track community spread, offer clinical care and identify new variants like Omicron. Early detection allows us to strengthen our defences before things get out of control. Making sure all countries have equitable access to COVID-19 testing and sequencing capacity is vital and needs to be a global priority to provide proper care and to keep us safe from new variants.”

Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund, agrees.

“Inequitable access to COVID-19 tools — including diagnostic tests, treatments, vaccines, and personal protective equipment — is severely hindering the pandemic response in low- and middle-income countries,” he said . “Not only is this morally wrong, it also creates the perfect conditions for new variants like Omicron to emerge and spread. To contain this pandemic as well as future ones we must redouble our efforts to fight this virus everywhere, leaving no one behind. We must act now.”

The Global Fund is a worldwide movement to defeat HIV, TB and malaria and ensure a healthier, safer, more equitable future for all. It raises and invests US$4 billion each year to fight the deadliest infectious diseases, challenge the injustice which fuels them, and strengthen health systems in more than 100 of the hardest-hit countries.

The fund says it unites world leaders, communities, civil society, health workers and the private sector to find solutions that have the most impact, and takes them to scale worldwide.

Since 2002 the Global Fund has saved 38 million lives.