Can The New Variant Of The Coronavirus In France Hide From The PCR Test, Is It More Deadly Or Contagious?

COVID Illustration 19. (Unsplash/Prasesh Shiwakoti)

JAKARTA - The Brittany Regional Health Authority announced on Tuesday local time that scientists were investigating a new variant of the coronavirus that was detected in the region located in Western France.

Eight new variant cases were identified in a cluster at Brittany hospital. The French Health Ministry said late Monday that preliminary analysis did not show the mutation was any more contagious or deadly than previous versions of the virus.

"An investigation will be carried out to determine how this variant reacts to the vaccinations and antibodies developed during the previous COVID-19 infection," said regional health authority Brittany in a statement.

Scientists also want to understand how the new variant could hide from the COVID-19 test, after some patients gave a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and returned a positive result only from samples taken from the blood or deep in the respiratory system.

The PCR test is used to directly detect the presence of antigens, rather than the presence of the body's immune response, or antibodies. International agencies have been alerted to the discovery of new variants.

The Brittany region has so far avoided the burden of the third wave hitting France and other European countries, but the incidence rate is increasing.

The seven-day infection movement rate per 100,000 population in Brittany stood at 132.9 on March 12, compared with 113 in the previous week. The incidence rate in and around Paris, where intensive care wards are nearly saturated, stands at 404 per 100,000 population.