Efficient Tracing of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variants in Santa Barbara County Using a Rapid Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR Assay.

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in 2021 is associated with a global surge of cases in late 2021 and early 2022. Identifying the introduction of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants to a population is imperative to inform decisions by clinicians and public health officials. Here, we describe a quantitative reverse transcription PCR-based assay (RT-qPCR) targeting unique mutations in the Omicron BA.

CREST, a Cas13-Based, Rugged, Equitable, Scalable Testing (CREST) for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Patient Samples.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a devastating human toll worldwide. The development of impactful guidelines and measures for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic requires continuous and widespread testing of suspected cases and their contacts through accurate, accessible, and reliable methods for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Here we describe a CRISPR-Cas13-based method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

Comparison of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Screening Using Reverse Transcriptase-Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction or CRISPR-Based Assays in Asymptomatic College Students.

Importance: The reopening of colleges and universities in the US during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a significant public health challenge. The development of accessible and practical approaches for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection in the college population is paramount for deploying recurrent surveillance testing as an essential strategy for virus detection, containment, and mitigation.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic participants in a university community by using CREST (Cas13-based, rugged, equitable, scalable testing), a CRISPR-based test developed for accessible and large-scale viral screening.