The Indian Council of Medical Research has approved the testing kit to detect the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The test kit will be used to detect Omicron in patients with its SGTF (S-Gene Target Failure) strategy.

The testing kit is named 'Omisure' and has been manufactured by Tata Medical and Diagnostics.

The approval letter of the ICMR confirmed that the tests have been carried out according to the instructions of the manufacturers. It also stated that the consistency responsibility of the batch lies solely with the manufacturer.

A present, the kit which is being used in India to detect Omicron has been developed by Thermo Fisher, the US-based Scientific instrumentation company. The US company also uses the SGTF strategy to detect the COVID variant.

The South-East Asia Region of WHO emphasized on focusing towards enhancement of genome sequencing considering the Omicron variant.

The WHO has also proposed to establish a SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium in South-East Asia Region this year. This will improve the appropriate use of genomic data for decision-making related to public health and will also help in strengthening the preparation and response to future pandemics or outbreaks.