Although vaccination drive has ramped up globally, epidemiologists and viral researchers still face an increasing demand for faster PCR-based workflow to develop preventive measures against the mutating virus. Saliva and gargle samples have become attractive research specimens for detecting SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR because of the non-invasive sample collection and handling. But how does detection sensitivity compare to the more commonly used naso- and oro-pharyngeal swabs? And how can we keep pace with the emerging and more formidable variants (variants of concern) as life enters a ‘new normal?’ Research laboratories need an approach to cut the turnaround time and increase the frequency of analysis without compromising performance.

This is now possible with the QIAprep&amp Viral RNA UM Kit. It combines a two-minute liquid-based sample preparation step with a one-step RT-qPCR in a single end-to-end procedure, delivering results in under one hour.

In this webinar, we will discuss:

• How the QIAprep&amp procedure works and a new protocol for saliva and gargle samples 
• The benefits of using the method together with our new genotyping assays for variants discrimination
• How it performs compared to other solutions