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Unilabs, the leading European diagnostic services provider, has created a new PCR test that can specifically identify the new, more infectious Delta variant, and is working with health authorities to optimise public health measures accordingly.

"With the Delta variant spreading fast, and well on its way to becoming the dominant strain of Covid-19 in many parts of Europe, we put our teams to work and came up with a test that can reliably identify this variant," said Timoteo Guimarães, who runs Unilabs’ Covid-19 business unit. "We are using the same techniques we created to detect the Kent variant, and we expect to quickly track any future variants, too."

In countries like Portugal, France, Switzerland, Sweden Spain, the UK, and the UAE, data from Unilabs’ testing efforts is being used to track the spread of this new variant, and identify new variants – helping health authorities put in place targeted measures to contain the virus. A data-driven approach will result in "smarter" lockdowns, save lives, and minimise the economic fall-out.

Unilabs offers PCR testing, the "gold standard" of Covid-19 tests, as well as antigen and serology tests. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Unilabs has performed more than 12 million Covid-19 tests around the world.

With a network of labs and experts across 16 countries, Unilabs is working with companies, health authorities, and governments to design effective testing strategies, and has also teamed up with airlines to help test international travellers.

Unilabs recently signed an agreement to incorporate Unilabs’ worldwide Covid-19 testing network into IATA Travel Pass, the travel app of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Reliable testing is particularly vital in the context of mass vaccinations, the lifting of restrictions, and the resulting uptick in mobility.