system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Can the COVID-19 have enough variants where it would be considered something new/different and not be detected by the current tests? How do the tests not detect other types of coronavirus?
gpt
The PCR tests use specific primers that recognize certain sequences unique to SARS-CoV-2 and absent from other coronavirus types.

Mutations are a concern for this testing, but they do try to pick parts of the viral genome that are more conserved (mutate less often). Beyond that, there's also an ongoing effort to sequence viral samples so we would know if we had to adjust the primers for the PCR test.

There are also antigen tests, which rely on antibodies to recognize viral proteins. This is perhaps a little less vulnerable to mutations, but you still want to keep an eye on it.