The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said rapid COVID-19 tests could be less accurate when trying to detect the new Omicron variant. Rapid tests, including the very commonly used antigen tests, can detect the Omicron variant “but may have reduced sensitivity,” the FDA said in a statement on Dec. 28. The FDA’s findings regarding at-home tests were based on preliminary studies that were conducted by the agency and the National Institutes of Health’s RADx program. “Prior to completing these live virus tests, RADx conducted initial laboratory tests using heat-inactivated samples for some of the currently available antigen tests, which were able to detect the Omicron variant, with similar performance when detecting other variants,” said the federal health agency. “Heat-inactivated samples are patient samples with Omicron variant that have been heat-treated so that the virus is no longer live.” However, the FDA said that people should not avoid using antigen …