How much should you trust the results of a rapid antigen test? That's a question many people are asking these days amid recent research and anecdotes suggesting these tests may be less sensitive to omicron. Researchers are working fast to figure out what's going on and how to improve the tests. Source: NPR.

With questions swirling about how well rapid COVID-19 tests work when it comes to detecting the omicron variant, leading scientists are now reassuring the public that they do work, and have a valuable role to play in the ongoing pandemic. Read more at ABC news online. ABC news online.

As the coronavirus spawns a record-breaking wave of infections, new research suggests that rapid tests widely used to identify potential covid-19 cases might be less effective at identifying illness caused by the swiftly spreading omicron variant. Read more at the Washington Post. Washington Post.

The U.S. drug regulator has granted emergency use authorization to German health technology company Siemens Healthineers' (SHLG.DE) at-home COVID-19 tests, a move that will boost availability of tests pressured by rising infection cases. Read more at Reuters. Reuters.

The US FDA said Tuesday that quick antigen tests people take at home may be less sensitive to picking up the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, but health officials say they're still a useful tool. Read more at CNN health. CNN health

Hari Shroff, NIBIB, answers questions about his latest research into confocal microscopy. Source: AZO Life Sciences.

Lung autopsy and plasma samples from people who died of COVID-19 have provided a clearer picture of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads and damages lung tissue. NIH scientists and their collaborators say the information, published in Science Translational Medicine, could help predict severe and prolonged COVID-19 cases, particularly among high-risk people, and inform effective treatments. Read more at NIH.gov.

In Ann Arbor, Mich., as in many other cities across the country, you’d be hard-pressed to find a rapid Covid-19 test today — they’re not available at the nearby Walmart or at local pharmacies. Source:  STAT.

The National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative announced on Thursday that it has awarded $77.7 million to develop and manufacture 12 new rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2. Source: Genomeweb