There are NO common tests to determine any of the strains.
The PCR test is so broad that it indicates positive for:
1. COVID-19 infection
2. COVID-19 viral fragments
3. Coronavirus Common Cold
4. Influenza A
5. Influenza B
Ever wondered by "Flu" disappeared in 2020? This is why: EVERY case of flu was counted as COVID.
The PCR tests are so non-specific as to be 100% useless. This is why the FDA/CDC has a RFPs for a replacement to the PCR tests: the current one DOESN'T WORK.
To get more specific strain data, even antibody tests can not differentiate them accurately.
You literally have to hand-culture and hand-PCR, and then gene sequence the results. The problem with PCR and gene sequencing is they typically still use restriction enzymes that only confuse the identification.
Imagine identifying Dickens' "Tale of Two Cities" from all his other books simply by comparing propositions or a few nouns. That's how most gene sequencing for match actually work. They rely on the statistical unlikely possibility that two restriction enzyme'd short sequences won't ever BOTH appear.
> The PCR test is so broad that it indicates positive for:
1. COVID-19 infection 2. COVID-19 viral fragments 3. Coronavirus Common Cold 4. Influenza A 5. Influenza B
> This is why: EVERY case of flu was counted as COVID.
Do you have a reference for this? It appears they're been using multiplex tests for some time now.
