Evaluation of the cobas Liat detection test for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses following the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the clinical performance of the cobas Liat SARS‑CoV‑2 & Influenza A/B assay (LiatCOVID/flu) for the detection of both severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza viruses during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron outbreak. METHODS: Residual nasopharyngeal swab samples (NPS) previously tested with cobas SARS-CoV-2 & Influenza A/B for SARS-CoV-2 and with the Allplex Respiratory Panel 1 for influenza viruses were collected. All samples were submitted to the LiatCOVID/flu assay. RESULTS: A total of 1147 samples were collected comprising 167 SARS-CoV-2-positive, 556 SARS-CoV-2-negative, 224 influenza-positive, and 200 influenza-negative cases. The positive percent agreement (PPA)/negative percent agreement (NPA) of LiatCOVID/flu for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses compared to the previously tested methods were 100% of 100% and 99.6% of 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The LiatCOVID/flu assay shows an acceptable performance in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses using NPS samples.