The SARS-CoV-2 Emerging Variant Panel Add-on is designed to be used with the existing CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 products to maintain high coverage for variant calling and identification as the virus evolves.

The new variants of concern, such as the Alpha variant from UK (B.1.1.7), Beta variant from South Africa (B.1.351) lineages, and Delta variant from India contain mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein, which have been shown to significantly increase infection rates and can negatively impact the efficacy of the recently developed vaccines and current COVID-19 qPCR mass testing methods.

Thus, a robust detection method and continued screening and surveillance are more critical than ever in our continued global efforts to control this pandemic.