As Omicron Variant Spreads, At-Home Tests May Not Be Home for the Holidays

Omicron is the word on everyone’s tongues this holiday season, as the latest COVID-19 variant is surging just as the country enters peak travel dates. Already, airports have seen the most traffic since before the pandemic. The Biden administration has implemented testing requirements, regardless of vaccination status, to all international travelers to help curb the spread. At-home tests have fast become a popular way for people to check their COVID-status, and the industry is having to adjust quickly as variants develop.

at-home test stats

According to Gerald Commissiong, the Chief Executive Officer of Todos Medical, some at-home tests have already been rendered ineffective as the already-existent variants have changed the sequences in the virus.

“We need to start thinking about a completely new set of tests that are able to detect different parts of the virus that do not mutate,” said Commissiong.

Todos Medical is working on their own 3CL protease test that wouldn’t rely on the ever-changing sequence of the virus to detect it.

“That may be a solution to get around a mutating virus,” he said.

Another challenge during the holiday season regarding at-home tests is the delayed delivery times for packages, which could render a test potentially useless if the tested individual later encountered someone with the virus, or if the integrity of the test degraded during the shipping process. He says increasing the number of local labs is a workaround for this situation to help lessen delivery time. Commissiong spoke highly of the vaccines, though stressed that they are designed to prevent hospitalization and death.

“If you get sick, you’re less likely to have a severe disease and potentially less likely to get long COVID,” said Commissiong.

He called this “a call to action,” considering many people who have had the virus have dealt with extended issues tasting, smelling, brain fog and even worse symptoms. Commissiong spoke of the necessity to develop a strategy in how to implement rapid tests. Without such a strategy in place, he recommends the PCR test for the holiday,

“The PCR test is really the best test if you are going to go and see people and are worried you could be carrying the disease,” said Commissiong.

 

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

cardiac care
Just Thinking… About the Role of Critical Thinking in Cardiac Care With Dr. Minh Tran
July 14, 2025

As cardiovascular disease continues to rank as the leading cause of death globally, the importance of expert cardiac care has never been more evident. The American Heart Association reports that over 800,000 Americans experience a heart attack each year, and many rely on the fast, critical thinking of cardiac specialists to survive. In an…

Read More
IP radios
Icom’s IP Radios Fill Critical Gaps in Privacy, Range, and Cost for Commercial Fishermen
July 11, 2025

The 2024 Pacific Marine Expo served as a platform for exploring how advanced radio technologies are supporting specialized industries. Secure and far-reaching communication remains a critical need for the commercial fishing sector. Rick Waedekin, the President of Coast Marine Marketing and Icom’s West Coast Sales Rep, spoke with Harold Whittlesy of Satellite Technical Services…

Read More
DXpedition
Icom Powers 3Y0K : Ham Radio’s Most Ambitious DXpedition to Remote Bouvet Island Part 1
July 11, 2025

Bouvet Island sits at the edge of the world. It is frozen, uninhabited, and almost impossible to access. Fewer people have set foot there than in space. That level of remoteness is exactly what makes it so valuable to amateur radio operators. The island ranks tenth on ClubLog’s list of Most Wanted DXCC entities,…

Read More
entrepreneurial success
The Hidden Key to Entrepreneurial Success: Build Momentum Through Personal Branding and Authentic Networking
July 10, 2025

What if the biggest pivot of your career started with a conversation?  In this episode of Professional Quotient, host Jason Winningham welcomes Fanny Dunagan, CEO and Content Strategist of PathLynks, LLC. Fanny shares her journey from high-pressure consulting in Singapore to founding her own media and branding company — and why learning to network…

Read More