Genetically distinct variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have emerged since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over this period, we developed a rapid platform (R-20) for viral isolation and characterization using primary remnant diagnostic swabs. This, combined with quarantine testing and genomics surveillance, enabled the rapid isolation and characterization of all major SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in Australia in 2021. Our platform facilitated viral variant isolation, rapid resolution of variant fitness using nasopharyngeal swabs and ranking of evasion of neutralizing antibodies. In late 2021, variant of concern Omicron (B1.1.529) emerged. Using our platform, we detected and characterized SARS-CoV-2 VOC Omicron. We show that Omicron effectively evades neutralization antibodies and has a different entry route that is TMPRSS2-independent. Our low-cost platform is available to all and can detect all variants of SARS-CoV-2 studied so far, with the main limitation being that our platform still requires appropriate biocontainment.

自 COVID-19 大流行开始以来，已经出现了严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 的遗传上不同的变体。在此期间，我们开发了一个快速平台 (R-20)，用于使用初级残留诊断拭子进行病毒分离和表征。这与检疫测试和基因组学监测相结合，能够快速分离和表征 2021 年在澳大利亚流行的所有主要 SARS-CoV-2 变体。我们的平台促进了病毒变体的分离、使用鼻咽拭子快速解决变体适应度以及对逃逸的排名的中和抗体。2021 年末，出现了备受关注的 Omicron (B1.1.529) 变体。使用我们的平台，我们检测并表征了 SARS-CoV-2 VOC Omicron。我们表明 Omicron 有效地避开了中和抗体，并且具有不依赖于 TMPRSS2 的不同进入途径。我们的低成本平台可供所有人使用，并且可以检测迄今为止研究的所有 SARS-CoV-2 变体，主要限制是我们的平台仍然需要适当的生物防护。