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TOKYO (THE STATESMAN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The highly contagious Omicron variant can survive up to eight days on plastic and 21 hours on skin - a much longer period of time than other variants of concern like Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, as well as the original strain, according to a study. The pre-print study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, analysed the differences in viral environmental stability between the Sars-CoV-2 strain first detected in Wuhan and all variants of concern (VOCs).  The findings showed that on plastic and skin surfaces, the Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omicron variants exhibited more than twofold longer...

SINGAPORE - General practitioner (GP) clinics that remained open over the Chinese New Year holiday saw a surge in walk-in patients, some with acute respiratory infection (ARI). Chief executive of Northeast Medical Group, Dr Tan Teck Jack, told The Straits Times that one of the eight clinics it operates saw more than 10 positive antigen rapid test (ART) cases on Wednesday morning (Feb 2). "The safe management measures need to be in place and respected to prevent a further surge in Covid-19 cases," added Dr Tan. Parkway Shenton Medical Group said three of its clinics that were open on Tuesday (Feb 1)...

The TGA has approved the Alltest SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Test (Nasal Swab) for supply in Australia from 1st November 2021. The TGA's performance requirements for COVID rapid antigen self-tests are internationally aligned with technical specifications published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Commission. This includes a minimum clinical sensitivity of at least 80% (for specimens collected within 7 days of symptom onset) and a minimum clinical specificity of at least 98%. To provide an indication of the performance of COVID-19 rapid antigen self-tests, the table below includes information on the clinical sensitivity of each test. This is...