How do you find out if it's Omicron variant when testing positive on a PCR?

[MissSkate]

2 household members tested positive yesterday. 2 calls from test and trace but they couldn't tell me the variant. How do you find out if it's Omicron? Need to know as one negative household member works in the NHS

you can't.

They randomly test the pcr tests for omicron. They only test about 20% to see if omicron or other variant.

so all the omicron figures are based on that 20%.

Which tells you what nonsense the whole system is

It would take longer for pcr result if they tested every single sample for omicron though, surely?

Wait time is already long enough. We have 6 staff members off just waiting as it is . We will have to close our store eventually as more staff go off

DH just tested positive again after a bloody works party. No idea what variant we have the joy of hosting in this house this festive period. I don't think they sequence them all.

The PCR should be able to show signs of omicron initially before a full genome sequence.

A PCR uses specific DNA fragments that bind specifically to the gene that codes for the spike protein. They use three different ones to confirm it’s covid. Luckily one of the mutations for omicron is where one of these three binds, so if this one binds but the other two don’t then it’s likely to be omicron. I guess at that point they would send for a full genome sequence to confirm

Do you have any idea when contact was? Omicron is supposed to be a 2-3 day incubation period, whereas Delta is 4. Do the positive cases have symptoms? I’ve heard with omicron it’s more like a streaming cold, whereas with Delta it’s more the classic symptoms.

DS tested positive last week and looking at contact, incubation period and symptoms were pretty sure he’s got Delta, but obv without a proper test we don’t know.

@steppemum

so all the omicron figures are based on that 20%.

Which tells you what nonsense the whole system is

Well, I guess if it's a random sampling it should be representative of the nation as a whole?

Haven't T&T messaged the household member? They did for all of us (including a text message to the baby!) and they said we didn't need to isolate, which I assume means that it hasn't been shown to be omicron, possibly just because it wasn't tested to see if it was or not.

Sorry, I mean they should message the household members who aren't positive, obviously those that are need to isolate!

They tell your contacts to isolate or test daily if its Omicron.

T&T told me last week that if our contact history suggested the new variant we'd be sent a second PCR in the post.

DS received his results as normal then about 4-5 days after he took the test he got a text message saying he may have the omicron variant.