RE: Use of SNP driven Rapid Genotyping in PHE Analysis11 Jun 2021 16:45
I’d like it to be us more than anybody but a lot of these sequences have been found by the Taqpath assay.
Will we still be involved ?
Page 59 of 77 from your recent file .
Read the last paragraph.
Surveillance through S gene detection
The S gene target in a 3-target assay (S, N and ORF1ab) used in some Lighthouse Laboratories is not detected in Alpha. However, this S gene is detected in Kappa, Delta and VUI-21APR-03 (B.1.617.3) variants. It is also detected in Beta and other variants. Specimens with a detectable S gene (also referred to as S gene positive) are defined as those with cycle threshold (CT) values of =30 in all 3 gene targets: S, N, and ORF1ab.
Figure 17 shows the number of sequenced S gene positive isolates over time since January 2021 (data as of 8 June 2021), as well as the distribution of identified variants among these specimens. Unclassified variants refer to those not currently considered a variant of concern or variant under investigation; these dominated the sequenced S gene positive specimens at the beginning of 2021 and have decreased to less than 1% since the end of April 2021. The proportion of confirmed Delta specimens among S gene positives continues to increase, and has been above 95% in the most recent 3 weeks of data (since 11 May 2021). In the most recent week of data (starting 25 May 2021), this proportion has been more than 99% across all regions except for the South West, an area with few cases detected with the TaqPath assay (Figures 18 and 19).