Assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods for assaying for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a sample, including a clinical sample, and to oligonucleotides, reagents, and kits useful in such assays. In particular, the present invention is directed to such assays that are rapid, accurate and specific for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 using labeled oligonucleotides hybridizing to the ORFlab and / or S gene.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority to, U.S. Patent Appln. Serial No. 16 / 837,364 (filed on April 1, 2020; pending), which application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102020000006754, filed on March 31, 2020 (pending), each of which applications is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING:

[0002] This application includes one or more Sequence Listings pursuant to 37 C.F.R. 1.821 et seq., which are disclosed in computer-readable media (file name: SARS-CoV-2_0400_0020US2_ST25.txt, created on October 18, 2020, and having a size of 156,199 bytes), which file is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

[0003] The present invention is directed to methods for assaying for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a sample, including a clinical sample, and to oligonucleotides, reagents, and kits useful in such assays. In particular, the present invention is directed to such assays that are rapid, accurate and specific for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: I. SARS-CoV-2

[0004] Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a newly identified coronavirus species (the virus was previously provisionally named “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV”). SARS-CoV-2 infection is spread by human-to-human transmission via droplets or direct contact, and infection has been estimated to have a mean incubation period of 6.4 days and a Basic Reproduction Number of 2.24-3.58 (i.e., an epidemic doubling time of 6-8 days) (Fang, Y. et al. (2020) “Transmission Dynamics Of The COVID-19 Outbreak And Effectiveness Of Government Interventions: A Data-Driven Analysis,” J. Med. Virol, doi: 10.1002 / jmv.25750; Zhao, W.M. etal. (2020) “The 2019 Novel Coronavirus Resource,” Yi Chuan. 42(2):212-221; Zhu, N. et al. (2020) “A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019,” New Engl. J. Med. 382(8):727-733).

[0005] Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 exhibit COVID-19, a condition initially characterized by fever and cough (Kong, I. et al. (2020) “Early Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of 28 Cases of Coronavirus Disease in South Korea,” Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 11(1):8-14). In approximately 20% of patients, COVID-19 progresses to a severe respiratory disease and pneumonia that has a mortality of 5-10% (1-2% overall mortality). Bilateral lung involvement with ground-glass opacity are the most common finding from computed tomography images of the chest (Lai, C.C. et al. (2020) “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) And Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19): The Epidemic And The Challenges,” Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents. 55(3):105924). Since a cure for COVID-19 has not yet been identified, treatment presently consists of a “Four-Anti and Two-Balance” strategy included antivirus, anti-shock, anti-hyoxemia, anti-secondary infection, and maintaining water, electrolyte and acid-base balance and microecological balance (Xu, K. et al. (2020) “Management Of Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19): The Zhejiang Experience,” Zhejiang Da Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban. 49(1):0).

[0006] Coronaviruses (CoVs) belong to the subfamily Orthocoronavirinae in the family Coronaviridae and the order Nidovirales. The Coronaviridae family of viruses are enveloped, single-stranded, RNA viruses that possess a positive-sense RNA genome of 26 to 32 kilobases in length. Four genera of coronaviruses have been identified, namely, Alphacoronavirus (aCoV), Betacoronavirus (PCoV), Deltacoronavirus (6CoV), and Gammacoronavirus (yCoV) (Chan, J.F. et al. (2013) “Interspecies Transmission And Emergence Of Novel Viruses: Lessons From Bats And Birds,” Trends Microbiol. 21(10):544-555). Evolutionary analyses have shown that bats and rodents are the gene sources of most aCoVs and pCoVs, while avian species are the gene sources of most 6CoVs and yCoVs.

[0007] Prior to 2019, only six coronavirus species were known to be pathogenic to humans. Four of these species were associated with mild clinical symptoms, but two coronaviruses, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARS-CoV) (Marra, M.A. et al. (2003) “The Genome Sequence of the SARS-Associated Coronavirus,” Science 300(5624):1399-1404) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV) (Mackay, I.M. (2015) “MERS Coronavirus: Diagnostics, Epidemiology And Transmission,” Virol. J. 12:222. doi: 10.1186 / sl2985-015-0439-5) were associated with human mortalities approaching 10% (Su, S. et al. (2016) “Epidemiology, Genetic Recombination, And Pathogenesis Of Coronaviruses,” Trends Microbiol. 24:490-502; Al Johani, S. et al. (2016) “MERS-CoV Diagnosis: An Update,” J. Infect. Public Health 9(3):216-219).

[0008] SARS-CoV-2 is closely related (88%) to two bat-derived Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-like coronaviruses, bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21, and is more distantly related to SARS-CoV (79%) and MERS-CoV (50%) (Xie, C. et al. (2020) “Comparison Of Different Samples For 2019 Novel Coronavirus Detection By Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests” Int. J. Infect. Dis. / doi.org / 10.1016 / j.ijid.2020.02.050; Mackay, I.M. (2015) “MERS Coronavirus: Diagnostics, Epidemiology And Transmission,” Virol. J. 12:222. doi: 10.1186 / s 12985-015-0439-5; Gong, S.R. etal. (2018) “The Battle Against SARS And MERS Coronaviruses: Reservoirs And Animal Models,” Animal Model Exp. Med. 1(2): 125-133; Yin, Y. et al. (2018) “MERS, SARS And Other Coronaviruses As Causes Of Pneumonia,” Respirology 23(2):130-137). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that SARS-CoV-2 fell within the subgenus Sarbecovirus of the genus Betacoronavirus, with a relatively long branch length to its closest relatives bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21, and was genetically distinct from SARS-CoV (Drosten et al. (2003) “Identification Of A Novel Coronavirus In Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome,” New Engl. J. Med. 348:1967-1976; Lai, C.C. et al. (2020) “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) And Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19): The Epidemic And The Challenges,” Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents. 55(3): 105924; Lu, R. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterisation And Epidemiology Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications For Virus Origins And Receptor Binding,” The Lancet 395(10224):565-574; Zhou, Y. et al. (2020) “Network-Based Drug Repurposing For Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV / SARS-CoV-2,” Cell Discov. 6(14): doi.org / 10.1038 / s41421-020-0153-3).

[0009] The SARS-CoV-2 genome has been sequenced from at least 170 isolates. The reference sequence is GenBank NC_045512 (Wang, C. et al. (2020) “The Establishment Of Reference Sequence For SARS-CoV-2 And Variation Analysis,” J. Med. Virol, doi: 10.1002 / jmv.25762; Chan, J.F. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterization Of The 2019 Novel Human-Pathogenic Coronavirus Isolated From A Patient With Atypical Pneumonia After Visiting Wuhan,” Emerg. Microbes. Infect. 9(1):221-236).

[0010] Comparisons of the sequences of multiple isolates of the virus (MN988668 and NC_045512, isolated from Wuhan, China, and MN938384.1, MN975262.1, MN985325.1, MN988713.1, MN994467.1, MN994468.1, and MN997409.1) reveal greater than 99.99% identity (Sah, R. et al. (2020) “Complete Genome Sequence of a 2019 Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Strain Isolated in Nepal,” Microbiol. Resource Announcements 9(11): eOO 169-20, pages 1-3; Brussow, H. (2020) “The Novel Coronavirus-A Snapshot of Current Knowledge,” Microbial Biotechnology 0:(0):1-6). The SARS-CoV-2 genome is highly similar to that of human SARS-CoV, with an overall nucleotide identity of approximately 82% (Chan, J.F. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterization Of The 2019 Novel Human-Pathogenic Corona Virus Isolated From A Patient With Atypical Pneumonia After Visiting Wuhan,” Emerg Microbes Infect 9:221-236; Chan, J.F. et al. (2020) “Improved Molecular Diagnosis Of COVID-19 By The Novel, Highly Sensitive And Specific COVID-19-RdRp / Hel Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay Validated In Vitro And With Clinical Specimens,” J Clin. Microbiol. JCM.00310-20. doi: 10.1128 / JCM.00310-20). Based on its homology to related coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 is predicted to encode 12 open reading frame (ORFs) coding regions (ORFlab, S (spike protein), 3, E (envelope protein), M (matrix), 7, 8, 9,10b, N, 13 and 14. The arrangement of these coding regions is shown in Figure 1. Two ORFs coding regions are of particular significance to the present invention: ORFlab and the S gene (Lu, R. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterisation And Epidemiology Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications For Virus Origins And Receptor Binding,” Lancet 395(10224):565-574). A. ORFlab

[0011] ORFlab is composed of 21290 nucleotides and encodes an open reading frame of 7096 amino acids in length. Via a -1 ribosomal frameshift, the encoded protein is a polyprotein (pp) composed of a first segment (ppia) of 4401 amino acid residues, and a second segment (pplab) of 2695 amino acid residues (Chen, Y, et al. (2020) “Emerging Coronaviruses: Genome Structure, Replication, And Pathogenesis,” J. Med. Virol. 92:418423; Lu, R. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterisation And Epidemiology Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications For Virus Origins And Receptor Binding,” Lancet 395(10224):565-574). Both segments include the same 180 amino acid long leader sequence. The polyprotein includes multiple non-structural proteins (nsp): a 638 amino acid long nsp2 protein, a 1945 amino acid long nsp3 protein, a 500 amino acid long nsp4 protein, a 306 amino acid long nsp5 protein, a 290 amino acid long nsp6 protein, an 83 amino acid long nsp7 protein, a 198 amino acid long nsp8 protein, a 113 amino acid long nsp9 singlestrand binding protein, a 139 amino acid long nsplO protein, a 923 amino acid long nspl2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), a 601 amino acid long nspl3 helicase, a 527 amino acid long nspl4a2 3’—>5’ exonuclease, a 346 amino acid long nspl5 endoRNAse, and a 298 amino acid long nspl6 2’-O-ribose-methyltransferase (Chen, Y, et al. (2020) “Emerging Coronaviruses: Genome Structure, Replication, And Pathogenesis,” J. Med. Virol. 92:418-423; Lu, R. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterisation And Epidemiology Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications For Virus Origins And Receptor Binding,” Lancet 395(10224):565-574).

[0012] The sequence of the positive sense (“sense”) strand of the ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 of GenBank NC_045512 (SEQ ID NO:415) is shown in Table 1. Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS- CoV-2 atggagagcc ttgtccctgg tttcaacgag aaaacacacg tccaactcag 50 316 tttgcctgtt ttacaggttc gcgacgtgct cgtacgtggc tttggagact 100 366 ccgtggagga ggtcttatca gaggcacgtc aacatcttaa agatggcact 150 416 tgtggcttag tagaagttga aaaaggcgtt ttgcctcaac ttgaacagcc 200 466 ctatgtgttc atcaaacgtt cggatgctcg aactgcacct catggtcatg 250 516 ttatggttga gctggtagca gaactcgaag gcattcagta cggtcgtagt 300 566 ggtgagacac ttggtgtcct tgtccctcat gtgggcgaaa taccagtggc 350 616 ttaccgcaag gttcttcttc gtaagaacgg taataaagga gctggtggcc 400 666 atagttacgg cgccgatcta aagtcatttg acttaggcga cgagcttggc 450 716 actgatcctt atgaagattt tcaagaaaac tggaacacta aacatagcag 500 766 tggtgttacc cgtgaactca tgcgtgagct taacggaggg gcatacactc 550 816 gctatgtcga taacaacttc tgtggccctg atggctaccc tcttgagtgc 600 866 attaaagacc ttctagcacg tgctggtaaa gcttcatgca ctttgtccga 650 916 acaactggac tttattgaca ctaagagggg tgtatactgc tgccgtgaac 700 966 atgagcatga aattgcttgg tacacggaac gttctgaaaa gagctatgaa 750 1,016 ttgcagacac cttttgaaat taaattggca aagaaatttg acaccttcaa 800 1,066 Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS- CoV-2 tggggaatgt ccaaattttg tatttccctt aaattccata atcaagacta 850 1,116 ttcaaccaag ggttgaaaag aaaaagcttg atggctttat gggtagaatt 900 1,166 cgatctgtct atccagttgc gtcaccaaat gaatgcaacc aaatgtgcct 950 1,216 ttcaactctc atgaagtgtg atcattgtgg tgaaacttca tggcagacgg 1,000 1,266 gcgattttgt taaagccact tgcgaatttt gtggcactga gaatttgact 1,050 1,316 aaagaaggtg ccactacttg tggttactta ccccaaaatg ctgttgttaa 1,100 1,366 aatttattgt ccagcatgtc acaattcaga agtaggacct gagcatagtc 1,150 1,416 ttgccgaata ccataatgaa tctggcttga aaaccattct tcgtaagggt 1,200 1,466 ggtcgcacta ttgcctttgg aggctgtgtg ttctcttatg ttggttgcca 1,250 1,516 taacaagtgt gcctattggg ttccacgtgc tagcgctaac ataggttgta 1,300 1,566 accatacagg tgttgttgga gaaggttccg aaggtcttaa tgacaacctt 1,350 1,616 cttgaaatac tccaaaaaga gaaagtcaac atcaatattg ttggtgactt 1,400 1,666 taaacttaat gaagagatcg ccattatttt ggcatctttt tctgcttcca 1,450 1,716 caagtgcttt tgtggaaact gtgaaaggtt tggattataa agcattcaaa 1,500 1,766 caaattgttg aatcctgtgg taattttaaa gttacaaaag gaaaagctaa 1,550 1,816 aaaaggtgcc tggaatattg gtgaacagaa atcaatactg agtcctcttt 1,600 1,866 atgcatttgc atcagaggct gctcgtgttg tacgatcaat tttctcccgc 1,650 1,916 actcttgaaa ctgctcaaaa ttctgtgcgt gttttacaga aggccgctat 1,700 1,966 aacaatacta gatggaattt cacagtattc actgagactc attgatgcta 1,750 2,016 tgatgttcac atctgatttg gctactaaca atctagttgt aatggcctac 1,800 2,066 attacaggtg gtgttgttca gttgacttcg cagtggctaa ctaacatctt 1,850 2,116 tggcactgtt tatgaaaaac tcaaacccgt ccttgattgg cttgaagaga 1,900 2,166 agtttaagga aggtgtagag tttcttagag acggttggga aattgttaaa 1,950 2,216 tttatctcaa cctgtgcttg tgaaattgtc ggtggacaaa ttgtcacctg 2,000 2,266 tgcaaaggaa attaaggaga gtgttcagac attctttaag cttgtaaata 2,050 2,316 aatttttggc tttgtgtgct gactctatca ttattggtgg agctaaactt 2,100 2,366 aaagccttga atttaggtga aacatttgtc acgcactcaa agggattgta 2,150 2,416 cagaaagtgt gttaaatcca gagaagaaac tggcctactc atgcctctaa 2,200 2,466 aagccccaaa agaaattatc ttcttagagg gagaaacact tcccacagaa 2,250 2,516 gtgttaacag aggaagttgt cttgaaaact ggtgatttac aaccattaga 2,300 2,566 acaacctact agtgaagctg ttgaagctcc attggttggt acaccagttt 2,350 2,616 gtattaacgg gcttatgttg ctcgaaatca aagacacaga aaagtactgt 2,400 2,666 gcccttgcac ctaatatgat ggtaacaaac aataccttca cactcaaagg 2,450 2,716 cggtgcacca acaaaggtta cttttggtga tgacactgtg atagaagtgc 2,500 2,766 aaggttacaa gagtgtgaat atcacttttg aacttgatga aaggattgat 2,550 2,816 aaagtactta atgagaagtg ctctgcctat acagttgaac tcggtacaga 2,600 2,866 agtaaatgag ttcgcctgtg ttgtggcaga tgctgtcata aaaactttgc 2,650 2,916 aaccagtatc tgaattactt acaccactgg gcattgattt agatgagtgg 2,700 2,966 agtatggcta catactactt atttgatgag tctggtgagt ttaaattggc 2,750 3,016 ttcacatatg tattgttctt tctaccctcc agatgaggat gaagaagaag 2,800 3,066 gtgattgtga agaagaagag tttgagccat caactcaata tgagtatggt 2,850 3,116 actgaagatg attaccaagg taaacctttg gaatttggtg ccacttctgc 2,900 3,166 tgctcttcaa cctgaagaag agcaagaaga agattggtta gatgatgata 2,950 3,216 gtcaacaaac tgttggtcaa caagacggca gtgaggacaa tcagacaact 3,000 3,266 actattcaaa caattgttga ggttcaacct caattagaga tggaacttac 3,050 3,316 accagttgtt cagactattg aagtgaatag ttttagtggt tatttaaaac 3,100 3,366 ttactgacaa tgtatacatt aaaaatgcag acattgtgga agaagctaaa 3,150 3,416 aaggtaaaac caacagtggt tgttaatgca gccaatgttt accttaaaca 3,200 3,466 tggaggaggt gttgcaggag ccttaaataa ggctactaac aatgccatgc 3,250 3,516 aagttgaatc tgatgattac atagctacta atggaccact taaagtgggt 3,300 3,566 ggtagttgtg ttttaagcgg acacaatctt gctaaacact gtcttcatgt 3,350 3,616 tgtcggccca aatgttaaca aaggtgaaga cattcaactt cttaagagtg 3,400 3,666 Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS-CoV-2 cttatgaaaa ttttaatcag cacgaagttc tacttgcacc attattatca 3,450 3,716 gctggtattt ttggtgctga ccctatacat tctttaagag tttgtgtaga 3,500 3,766 tactgttcgc acaaatgtct acttagctgt ctttgataaa aatctctatg 3,550 3,816 acaaacttgt ttcaagcttt ttggaaatga agagtgaaaa gcaagttgaa 3,600 3,866 caaaagatcg ctgagattcc taaagaggaa gttaagccat ttataactga 3,650 3,916 aagtaaacct tcagttgaac agagaaaaca agatgataag aaaatcaaag 3,700 3,966 cttgtgttga agaagttaca acaactctgg aagaaactaa gttcctcaca 3,750 4,016 gaaaacttgt tactttatat tgacattaat ggcaatcttc atccagattc 3,800 4,066 tgccactctt gttagtgaca ttgacatcac tttcttaaag aaagatgctc 3,850 4,116 catatatagt gggtgatgtt gttcaagagg gtgttttaac tgctgtggtt 3,900 4,166 atacctacta aaaaggctgg tggcactact gaaatgctag cgaaagcttt 3,950 4,216 gagaaaagtg ccaacagaca attatataac cacttacccg ggtcagggtt 4,000 4,266 taaatggtta cactgtagag gaggcaaaga cagtgcttaa aaagtgtaaa 4,050 4,316 agtgcctttt acattctacc atctattatc tctaatgaga agcaagaaat 4,100 4,366 tcttggaact gtttcttgga atttgcgaga aatgcttgca catgcagaag 4,150 4,416 aaacacgcaa attaatgcct gtctgtgtgg aaactaaagc catagtttca 4,200 4,466 actatacagc gtaaatataa gggtattaaa atacaagagg gtgtggttga 4,250 4,516 ttatggtgct agattttact tttacaccag taaaacaact gtagcgtcac 4,300 4,566 ttatcaacac acttaacgat ctaaatgaaa ctcttgttac aatgccactt 4,350 4,616 ggctatgtaa cacatggctt aaatttggaa gaagctgctc ggtatatgag 4,400 4,666 atctctcaaa gtgccagcta cagtttctgt ttcttcacct gatgctgtta 4,450 4,716 cagcgtataa tggttatctt acttcttctt ctaaaacacc tgaagaacat 4,500 4,766 tttattgaaa ccatctcact tgctggttcc tataaagatt ggtcctattc 4,550 4,816 tggacaatct acacaactag gtatagaatt tcttaagaga ggtgataaaa 4,600 4,866 gtgtatatta cactagtaat cctaccacat tccacctaga tggtgaagtt 4,650 4,916 atcacctttg acaatcttaa gacacttctt tctttgagag aagtgaggac 4,700 4,966 tattaaggtg tttacaacag tagacaacat taacctccac acgcaagttg 4,750 5,016 tggacatgtc aatgacatat ggacaacagt ttggtccaac ttatttggat 4,800 5,066 ggagctgatg ttactaaaat aaaacctcat aattcacatg aaggtaaaac 4,850 5,116 attttatgtt ttacctaatg atgacactct acgtgttgag gcttttgagt 4,900 5,166 actaccacac aactgatcct agttttctgg gtaggtacat gtcagcatta 4,950 5,216 aatcacacta aaaagtggaa atacccacaa gttaatggtt taacttctat 5,000 5,266 taaatgggca gataacaact gttatcttgc cactgcattg ttaacactcc 5,050 5,316 aacaaataga gttgaagttt aatccacctg ctctacaaga tgcttattac 5,100 5,366 agagcaaggg ctggtgaagc tgctaacttt tgtgcactta tcttagccta 5,150 5,416 ctgtaataag acagtaggtg agttaggtga tgttagagaa acaatgagtt 5,200 5,466 acttgtttca acatgccaat ttagattctt gcaaaagagt cttgaacgtg 5,250 5,516 gtgtgtaaaa cttgtggaca acagcagaca acccttaagg gtgtagaagc 5,300 5,566 tgttatgtac atgggcacac tttcttatga acaatttaag aaaggtgttc 5,350 5,616 agataccttg tacgtgtggt aaacaagcta caaaatatct agtacaacag 5,400 5,666 gagtcacctt ttgttatgat gtcagcacca cctgctcagt atgaacttaa 5,450 5,716 gcatggtaca tttacttgtg ctagtgagta cactggtaat taccagtgtg 5,500 5,766 gtcactataa acatataact tctaaagaaa ctttgtattg catagacggt 5,550 5,816 gctttactta caaagtcctc agaatacaaa ggtcctatta cggatgtttt 5,600 5,866 ctacaaagaa aacagttaca caacaaccat aaaaccagtt acttataaat 5,650 5,916 tggatggtgt tgtttgtaca gaaattgacc ctaagttgga caattattat 5,700 5,966 aagaaagaca attcttattt cacagagcaa ccaattgatc ttgtaccaaa 5,750 6,016 ccaaccatat ccaaacgcaa gcttcgataa ttttaagttt gtatgtgata 5,800 6,066 atatcaaatt tgctgatgat ttaaaccagt taactggtta taagaaacct 5,850 6,116 gcttcaagag agcttaaagt tacatttttc cctgacttaa atggtgatgt 5,900 6,166 ggtggctatt gattataaac actacacacc ctcttttaag aaaggagcta 5,950 6,216 aattgttaca taaacctatt gtttggcatg ttaacaatgc aactaataaa 6,000 6,266 Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS- CoV-2 gccacgtata aaccaaatac ctggtgtata cgttgtcttt ggagcacaaa 6,050 6,316 accagttgaa acatcaaatt cgtttgatgt actgaagtca gaggacgcgc 6,100 6,366 agggaatgga taatcttgcc tgcgaagatc taaaaccagt ctctgaagaa 6,150 6,416 gtagtggaaa atcctaccat acagaaagac gttcttgagt gtaatgtgaa 6,200 6,466 aactaccgaa gttgtaggag acattatact taaaccagca aataatagtt 6,250 6,516 taaaaattac agaagaggtt ggccacacag atctaatggc tgcttatgta 6,300 6,566 gacaattcta gtcttactat taagaaacct aatgaattat ctagagtatt 6,350 6,616 aggtttgaaa acccttgcta ctcatggttt agctgctgtt aatagtgtcc 6,400 6,666 cttgggatac tatagctaat tatgctaagc cttttcttaa caaagttgtt 6,450 6,716 agtacaacta ctaacatagt tacacggtgt ttaaaccgtg tttgtactaa 6,500 6,766 ttatatgcct tatttcttta ctttattgct acaattgtgt acttttacta 6,550 6,816 gaagtacaaa ttctagaatt aaagcatcta tgccgactac tatagcaaag 6,600 6,866 aatactgtta agagtgtcgg taaattttgt ctagaggctt catttaatta 6,650 6,916 tttgaagtca cctaattttt ctaaactgat aaatattata atttggtttt 6,700 6,966 tactattaag tgtttgccta ggttctttaa tctactcaac cgctgcttta 6,750 7,016 ggtgttttaa tgtctaattt aggcatgcct tcttactgta ctggttacag 6,800 7,066 agaaggctat ttgaactcta ctaatgtcac tattgcaacc tactgtactg 6,850 7,116 gttctatacc ttgtagtgtt tgtcttagtg gtttagattc tttagacacc 6,900 7,166 tatccttctt tagaaactat acaaattacc atttcatctt ttaaatggga 6,950 7,216 tttaactgct tttggcttag ttgcagagtg gtttttggca tatattcttt 7,000 7,266 tcactaggtt tttctatgta cttggattgg ctgcaatcat gcaattgttt 7,050 7,316 ttcagctatt ttgcagtaca ttttattagt aattcttggc ttatgtggtt 7,100 7,366 aataattaat cttgtacaaa tggccccgat ttcagctatg gttagaatgt 7,150 7,416 acatcttctt tgcatcattt tattatgtat ggaaaagtta tgtgcatgtt 7,200 7,466 gtagacggtt gtaattcatc aacttgtatg atgtgttaca aacgtaatag 7,250 7,516 agcaacaaga gtcgaatgta caactattgt taatggtgtt agaaggtcct 7,300 7,566 tttatgtcta tgctaatgga ggtaaaggct tttgcaaact acacaattgg 7,350 7,616 aattgtgtta attgtgatac attctgtgct ggtagtacat ttattagtga 7,400 7,666 tgaagttgcg agagacttgt cactacagtt taaaagacca ataaatccta 7,450 7,716 ctgaccagtc ttcttacatc gttgatagtg ttacagtgaa gaatggttcc 7,500 7,766 atccatcttt actttgataa agctggtcaa aagacttatg aaagacattc 7,550 7,816 tctctctcat tttgttaact tagacaacct gagagctaat aacactaaag 7,600 7,866 gttcattgcc tattaatgtt atagtttttg atggtaaatc aaaatgtgaa 7,650 7,916 gaatcatctg caaaatcagc gtctgtttac tacagtcagc ttatgtgtca 7,700 7,966 acctatactg ttactagatc aggcattagt gtctgatgtt ggtgatagtg 7,750 8,016 cggaagttgc agttaaaatg tttgatgctt acgttaatac gttttcatca 7,800 8,066 acttttaacg taccaatgga aaaactcaaa acactagttg caactgcaga 7,850 8,116 agctgaactt gcaaagaatg tgtccttaga caatgtctta tctactttta 7,900 8,166 tttcagcagc tcggcaaggg tttgttgatt cagatgtaga aactaaagat 7,950 8,216 gttgttgaat gtcttaaatt gtcacatcaa tctgacatag aagttactgg 8,000 8,266 cgatagttgt aataactata tgctcaccta taacaaagtt gaaaacatga 8,050 8,316 caccccgtga ccttggtgct tgtattgact gtagtgcgcg tcatattaat 8,100 8,366 gcgcaggtag caaaaagtca caacattgct ttgatatgga acgttaaaga 8,150 8,416 tttcatgtca ttgtctgaac aactacgaaa acaaatacgt agtgctgcta 8,200 8,466 aaaagaataa cttacctttt aagttgacat gtgcaactac tagacaagtt 8,250 8,516 gttaatgttg taacaacaaa gatagcactt aagggtggta aaattgttaa 8,300 8,566 taattggttg aagcagttaa ttaaagttac acttgtgttc ctttttgttg 8,350 8,616 ctgctatttt ctatttaata acacctgttc atgtcatgtc taaacatact 8,400 8,666 gacttttcaa gtgaaatcat aggatacaag gctattgatg gtggtgtcac 8,450 8,716 tcgtgacata gcatctacag atacttgttt tgctaacaaa catgctgatt 8,500 8,766 ttgacacatg gtttagccag cgtggtggta gttatactaa tgacaaagct 8,550 8,816 tgcccattga ttgctgcagt cataacaaga gaagtgggtt ttgtcgtgcc 8,600 8,866 Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS- CoV-2 tggtttgcct ggcacgatat tacgcacaac taatggtgac tttttgcatt 8,650 8,916 tcttacctag agtttttagt gcagttggta acatctgtta cacaccatca 8,700 8,966 aaacttatag agtacactga ctttgcaaca tcagcttgtg ttttggctgc 8,750 9,016 tgaatgtaca atttttaaag atgcttctgg taagccagta ccatattgtt 8,800 9,066 atgataccaa tgtactagaa ggttctgttg cttatgaaag tttacgccct 8,850 9,116 gacacacgtt atgtgctcat ggatggctct attattcaat ttcctaacac 8,900 9,166 ctaccttgaa ggttctgtta gagtggtaac aacttttgat tctgagtact 8,950 9,216 gtaggcacgg cacttgtgaa agatcagaag ctggtgtttg tgtatctact 9,000 9,266 agtggtagat gggtacttaa caatgattat tacagatctt taccaggagt 9,050 9,316 tttctgtggt gtagatgctg taaatttact tactaatatg tttacaccac 9,100 9,366 taattcaacc tattggtgct ttggacatat cagcatctat agtagctggt 9,150 9,416 ggtattgtag ctatcgtagt aacatgcctt gcctactatt ttatgaggtt 9,200 9,466 tagaagagct tttggtgaat acagtcatgt agttgccttt aatactttac 9,250 9,516 tattccttat gtcattcact gtactctgtt taacaccagt ttactcattc 9,300 9,566 ttacctggtg tttattctgt tatttacttg tacttgacat tttatcttac 9,350 9,616 taatgatgtt tcttttttag cacatattca gtggatggtt atgttcacac 9,400 9,666 ctttagtacc tttctggata acaattgctt atatcatttg tatttccaca 9,450 9,716 aagcatttct attggttctt tagtaattac ctaaagagac gtgtagtctt 9,500 9,766 taatggtgtt tcctttagta cttttgaaga agctgcgctg tgcacctttt 9,550 9,816 tgttaaataa agaaatgtat ctaaagttgc gtagtgatgt gctattacct 9,600 9,866 cttacgcaat ataatagata cttagctctt tataataagt acaagtattt 9,650 9,916 tagtggagca atggatacaa ctagctacag agaagctgct tgttgtcatc 9,700 9,966 tcgcaaaggc tctcaatgac ttcagtaact caggttctga tgttctttac 9,750 10,016 caaccaccac aaacctctat cacctcagct gttttgcaga gtggttttag 9,800 10,066 aaaaatggca ttcccatctg gtaaagttga gggttgtatg gtacaagtaa 9,850 10,116 cttgtggtac aactacactt aacggtcttt ggcttgatga cgtagtttac 9,900 10,166 tgtccaagac atgtgatctg cacctctgaa gacatgctta accctaatta 9,950 10,216 tgaagattta ctcattcgta agtctaatca taatttcttg gtacaggctg 10,000 10,266 gtaatgttca actcagggtt attggacatt ctatgcaaaa ttgtgtactt 10,050 10,316 aagcttaagg ttgatacagc caatcctaag acacctaagt ataagtttgt 10,100 10,366 tcgcattcaa ccaggacaga ctttttcagt gttagcttgt tacaatggtt 10,150 10,416 caccatctgg tgtttaccaa tgtgctatga ggcccaattt cactattaag 10,200 10,466 ggttcattcc ttaatggttc atgtggtagt gttggtttta acatagatta 10,250 10,516 tgactgtgtc tctttttgtt acatgcacca tatggaatta ccaactggag 10,300 10,566 ttcatgctgg cacagactta gaaggtaact tttatggacc ttttgttgac 10,350 10,616 aggcaaacag cacaagcagc tggtacggac acaactatta cagttaatgt 10,400 10,666 tttagcttgg ttgtacgctg ctgttataaa tggagacagg tggtttctca 10,450 10,716 atcgatttac cacaactctt aatgacttta accttgtggc tatgaagtac 10,500 10,766 aattatgaac ctctaacaca agaccatgtt gacatactag gacctctttc 10,550 10,816 tgctcaaact ggaattgccg ttttagatat gtgtgcttca ttaaaagaat 10,600 10,866 tactgcaaaa tggtatgaat ggacgtacca tattgggtag tgctttatta 10,650 10,916 gaagatgaat ttacaccttt tgatgttgtt agacaatgct caggtgttac 10,700 10,966 tttccaaagt gcagtgaaaa gaacaatcaa gggtacacac cactggttgt 10,750 11,016 tactcacaat tttgacttca cttttagttt tagtccagag tactcaatgg 10,800 11,066 tctttgttct tttttttgta tgaaaatgcc tttttacctt ttgctatggg 10,850 11,116 tattattgct atgtctgctt ttgcaatgat gtttgtcaaa cataagcatg 10,900 11,166 catttctctg tttgtttttg ttaccttctc ttgccactgt agcttatttt 10,950 11,216 aatatggtct atatgcctgc tagttgggtg atgcgtatta tgacatggtt 11,000 11,266 ggatatggtt gatactagtt tgtctggttt taagctaaaa gactgtgtta 11,050 11,316 tgtatgcatc agctgtagtg ttactaatcc ttatgacagc aagaactgtg 11,100 11,366 tatgatgatg gtgctaggag agtgtggaca cttatgaatg tcttgacact 11,150 11,416 cgtttataaa gtttattatg gtaatgcttt agatcaagcc atttccatgt 11,200 11,466 Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS- CoV-2 gggctcttat aatctctgtt acttctaact actcaggtgt agttacaact 11,250 11,516 gtcatgtttt tggccagagg tattgttttt atgtgtgttg agtattgccc 11,300 11,566 tattttcttc ataactggta atacacttca gtgtataatg ctagtttatt 11,350 11,616 gtttcttagg ctatttttgt acttgttact ttggcctctt ttgtttactc 11,400 11,666 aaccgctact ttagactgac tcttggtgtt tatgattact tagtttctac 11,450 11,716 acaggagttt agatatatga attcacaggg actactccca cccaagaata 11,500 11,766 gcatagatgc cttcaaactc aacattaaat tgttgggtgt tggtggcaaa 11,550 11,816 ccttgtatca aagtagccac tgtacagtct aaaatgtcag atgtaaagtg 11,600 11,866 cacatcagta gtcttactct cagttttgca acaactcaga gtagaatcat 11,650 11,916 catctaaatt gtgggctcaa tgtgtccagt tacacaatga cattctctta 11,700 11,966 gctaaagata ctactgaagc ctttgaaaaa atggtttcac tactttctgt 11,750 12,016 tttgctttcc atgcagggtg ctgtagacat aaacaagctt tgtgaagaaa 11,800 12,066 tgctggacaa cagggcaacc ttacaagcta tagcctcaga gtttagttcc 11,850 12,116 cttccatcat atgcagcttt tgctactgct caagaagctt atgagcaggc 11,900 12,166 tgttgctaat ggtgattctg aagttgttct taaaaagttg aagaagtctt 11,950 12,216 tgaatgtggc taaatctgaa tttgaccgtg atgcagccat gcaacgtaag 12,000 12,266 ttggaaaaga tggctgatca agctatgacc caaatgtata aacaggctag 12,050 12,316 atctgaggac aagagggcaa aagttactag tgctatgcag acaatgcttt 12,100 12,366 tcactatgct tagaaagttg gataatgatg cactcaacaa cattatcaac 12,150 12,416 aatgcaagag atggttgtgt tcccttgaac ataatacctc ttacaacagc 12,200 12,466 agccaaacta atggttgtca taccagacta taacacatat aaaaatacgt 12,250 12,516 gtgatggtac aacatttact tatgcatcag cattgtggga aatccaacag 12,300 12,566 gttgtagatg cagatagtaa aattgttcaa cttagtgaaa ttagtatgga 12,350 12,616 caattcacct aatttagcat ggcctcttat tgtaacagct ttaagggcca 12,400 12,666 attctgctgt caaattacag aataatgagc ttagtcctgt tgcactacga 12,450 12,716 cagatgtctt gtgctgccgg tactacacaa actgcttgca ctgatgacaa 12,500 12,766 tgcgttagct tactacaaca caacaaaggg aggtaggttt gtacttgcac 12,550 12,816 tgttatccga tttacaggat ttgaaatggg ctagattccc taagagtgat 12,600 12,866 ggaactggta ctatctatac agaactggaa ccaccttgta ggtttgttac 12,650 12,916 agacacacct aaaggtccta aagtgaagta tttatacttt attaaaggat 12,700 12,966 taaacaacct aaatagaggt atggtacttg gtagtttagc tgccacagta 12,750 13,016 cgtctacaag ctggtaatgc aacagaagtg cctgccaatt caactgtatt 12,800 13,066 atctttctgt gcttttgctg tagatgctgc taaagcttac aaagattatc 12,850 13,116 tagctagtgg gggacaacca atcactaatt gtgttaagat gttgtgtaca 12,900 13,166 cacactggta ctggtcaggc aataacagtt acaccggaag ccaatatgga 12,950 13,216 tcaagaatcc tttggtggtg catcgtgttg tctgtactgc cgttgccaca 13,000 13,266 tagatcatcc aaatcctaaa ggattttgtg acttaaaagg taagtatgta 13,050 13,316 caaataccta caacttgtgc taatgaccct gtgggtttta cacttaaaaa 13,100 13,366 cacagtctgt accgtctgcg gtatgtggaa aggttatggc tgtagttgtg 13,150 13,416 atcaactccg cgaacccatg cttcagtcag ctgatgcaca atcgttttta 13,200 13,466 aacgggtttg cggtgtaagt gcagcccgtc ttacaccgtg cggcacaggc 13,250 13,516 actagtactg atgtcgtata cagggctttt gacatctaca atgataaagt 13,300 13,566 agctggtttt gctaaattcc taaaaactaa ttgttgtcgc ttccaagaaa 13,350 13,616 aggacgaaga tgacaattta attgattctt actttgtagt taagagacac 13,400 13,666 actttctcta actaccaaca tgaagaaaca atttataatt tacttaagga 13,450 13,716 ttgtccagct gttgctaaac atgacttctt taagtttaga atagacggtg 13,500 13,766 acatggtacc acatatatca cgtcaacgtc ttactaaata cacaatggca 13,550 13,816 gacctcgtct atgctttaag gcattttgat gaaggtaatt gtgacacatt 13,600 13,866 aaaagaaata cttgtcacat acaattgttg tgatgatgat tatttcaata 13,650 13,916 aaaaggactg gtatgatttt gtagaaaacc cagatatatt acgcgtatac 13,700 13,966 gccaacttag gtgaacgtgt acgccaagct ttgttaaaaa cagtacaatt 13,750 14,016 ctgtgatgcc atgcgaaatg ctggtattgt tggtgtactg acattagata 13,800 14,066 Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS- CoV-2 atcaagatct caatggtaac tggtatgatt tcggtgattt catacaaacc 13,850 14,116 acgccaggta gtggagttcc tgttgtagat tcttattatt cattgttaat 13,900 14,166 gcctatatta accttgacca gggctttaac tgcagagtca catgttgaca 13,950 14,216 ctgacttaac aaagccttac attaagtggg atttgttaaa atatgacttc 14,000 14,266 acggaagaga ggttaaaact ctttgaccgt tattttaaat attgggatca 14,050 14,316 gacataccac ccaaattgtg ttaactgttt ggatgacaga tgcattctgc 14,100 14,366 attgtgcaaa ctttaatgtt ttattctcta cagtgttccc acctacaagt 14,150 14,416 tttggaccac tagtgagaaa aatatttgtt gatggtgttc catttgtagt 14,200 14,466 ttcaactgga taccacttca gagagctagg tgttgtacat aatcaggatg 14,250 14,516 taaacttaca tagctctaga cttagtttta aggaattact tgtgtatgct 14,300 14,566 gctgaccctg ctatgcacgc tgcttctggt aatctattac tagataaacg 14,350 14,616 cactacgtgc ttttcagtag ctgcacttac taacaatgtt gcttttcaaa 14,400 14,666 ctgtcaaacc cggtaatttt aacaaagact tctatgactt tgctgtgtct 14,450 14,716 aagggtttct ttaaggaagg aagttctgtt gaattaaaac acttcttctt 14,500 14,766 tgctcaggat ggtaatgctg ctatcagcga ttatgactac tatcgttata 14,550 14,816 atctaccaac aatgtgtgat atcagacaac tactatttgt agttgaagtt 14,600 14,866 gttgataagt actttgattg ttacgatggt ggctgtatta atgctaacca 14,650 14,916 agtcatcgtc aacaacctag acaaatcagc tggttttcca tttaataaat 14,700 14,966 ggggtaaggc tagactttat tatgattcaa tgagttatga ggatcaagat 14,750 15,016 gcacttttcg catatacaaa acgtaatgtc atccctacta taactcaaat 14,800 15,066 gaatcttaag tatgccatta gtgcaaagaa tagagctcgc accgtagctg 14,850 15,116 gtgtctctat ctgtagtact atgaccaata gacagtttca tcaaaaatta 14,900 15,166 ttgaaatcaa tagccgccac tagaggagct actgtagtaa ttggaacaag 14,950 15,216 caaattctat ggtggttggc acaacatgtt aaaaactgtt tatagtgatg 15,000 15,266 tagaaaaccc tcaccttatg ggttgggatt atcctaaatg tgatagagcc 15,050 15,316 atgcctaaca tgcttagaat tatggcctca cttgttcttg ctcgcaaaca 15,100 15,366 tacaacgtgt tgtagcttgt cacaccgttt ctatagatta gctaatgagt 15,150 15,416 gtgctcaagt attgagtgaa atggtcatgt gtggcggttc actatatgtt 15,200 15,466 aaaccaggtg gaacctcatc aggagatgcc acaactgctt atgctaatag 15,250 15,516 tgtttttaac atttgtcaag ctgtcacggc caatgttaat gcacttttat 15,300 15,566 ctactgatgg taacaaaatt gccgataagt atgtccgcaa tttacaacac 15,350 15,616 agactttatg agtgtctcta tagaaataga gatgttgaca cagactttgt 15,400 15,666 gaatgagttt tacgcatatt tgcgtaaaca tttctcaatg atgatactct 15,450 15,716 ctgacgatgc tgttgtgtgt ttcaatagca cttatgcatc tcaaggtcta 15,500 15,766 gtggctagca taaagaactt taagtcagtt ctttattatc aaaacaatgt 15,550 15,816 ttttatgtct gaagcaaaat gttggactga gactgacctt actaaaggac 15,600 15,866 ctcatgaatt ttgctctcaa catacaatgc tagttaaaca gggtgatgat 15,650 15,916 tatgtgtacc ttccttaccc agatccatca agaatcctag gggccggctg 15,700 15,966 ttttgtagat gatatcgtaa aaacagatgg tacacttatg attgaacggt 15,750 16,016 tcgtgtcttt agctatagat gcttacccac ttactaaaca tcctaatcag 15,800 16,066 gagtatgctg atgtctttca tttgtactta caatacataa gaaagctaca 15,850 16,116 tgatgagtta acaggacaca tgttagacat gtattctgtt atgcttacta 15,900 16,166 atgataacac ttcaaggtat tgggaacctg agttttatga ggctatgtac 15,950 16,216 acaccgcata cagtcttaca ggctgttggg gcttgtgttc tttgcaattc 16,000 16,266 acagacttca ttaagatgtg gtgcttgcat acgtagacca ttcttatgtt 16,050 16,316 gtaaatgctg ttacgaccat gtcatatcaa catcacataa attagtcttg 16,100 16,366 tctgttaatc cgtatgtttg caatgctcca ggttgtgatg tcacagatgt 16,150 16,416 gactcaactt tacttaggag gtatgagcta ttattgtaaa tcacataaac 16,200 16,466 cacccattag ttttccattg tgtgctaatg gacaagtttt tggtttatat 16,250 16,516 aaaaatacat gtgttggtag cgataatgtt actgacttta atgcaattgc 16,300 16,566 aacatgtgac tggacaaatg ctggtgatta cattttagct aacacctgta 16,350 16,616 ctgaaagact caagcttttt gcagcagaaa cgctcaaagc tactgaggag 16,400 16,666 Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS- CoV-2 acatttaaac tgtcttatgg tattgctact gtacgtgaag tgctgtctga 16,450 16,716 cagagaatta catctttcat gggaagttgg taaacctaga ccaccactta 16,500 16,766 accgaaatta tgtctttact ggttatcgtg taactaaaaa cagtaaagta 16,550 16,816 caaataggag agtacacctt tgaaaaaggt gactatggtg atgctgttgt 16,600 16,866 ttaccgaggt acaacaactt acaaattaaa tgttggtgat tattttgtgc 16,650 16,916 tgacatcaca tacagtaatg ccattaagtg cacctacact agtgccacaa 16,700 16,966 gagcactatg ttagaattac tggcttatac ccaacactca atatctcaga 16,750 17,016 tgagttttct agcaatgttg caaattatca aaaggttggt atgcaaaagt 16,800 17,066 attctacact ccagggacca cctggtactg gtaagagtca ttttgctatt 16,850 17,116 ggcctagctc tctactaccc ttctgctcgc atagtgtata cagcttgctc 16,900 17,166 tcatgccgct gttgatgcac tatgtgagaa ggcattaaaa tatttgccta 16,950 17,216 tagataaatg tagtagaatt atacctgcac gtgctcgtgt agagtgtttt 17,000 17,266 gataaattca aagtgaattc aacattagaa cagtatgtct tttgtactgt 17,050 17,316 aaatgcattg cctgagacga cagcagatat agttgtcttt gatgaaattt 17,100 17,366 caatggccac aaattatgat ttgagtgttg tcaatgccag attacgtgct 17,150 17,416 aagcactatg tgtacattgg cgaccctgct caattacctg caccacgcac 17,200 17,466 attgctaact aagggcacac tagaaccaga atatttcaat tcagtgtgta 17,250 17,516 gacttatgaa aactataggt ccagacatgt tcctcggaac ttgtcggcgt 17,300 17,566 tgtcctgctg aaattgttga cactgtgagt gctttggttt atgataataa 17,350 17,616 gcttaaagca cataaagaca aatcagctca atgctttaaa atgttttata 17,400 17,666 agggtgttat cacgcatgat gtttcatctg caattaacag gccacaaata 17,450 17,716 ggcgtggtaa gagaattcct tacacgtaac cctgcttgga gaaaagctgt 17,500 17,766 ctttatttca ccttataatt cacagaatgc tgtagcctca aagattttgg 17,550 17,816 gactaccaac tcaaactgtt gattcatcac agggctcaga atatgactat 17,600 17,866 gtcatattca ctcaaaccac tgaaacagct cactcttgta atgtaaacag 17,650 17,916 atttaatgtt gctattacca gagcaaaagt aggcatactt tgcataatgt 17,700 17,966 ctgatagaga cctttatgac aagttgcaat ttacaagtct tgaaattcca 17,750 18,016 cgtaggaatg tggcaacttt acaagctgaa aatgtaacag gactctttaa 17,800 18,066 agattgtagt aaggtaatca ctgggttaca tcctacacag gcacctacac 17,850 18,116 acctcagtgt tgacactaaa ttcaaaactg aaggtttatg tgttgacata 17,900 18,166 cctggcatac ctaaggacat gacctataga agactcatct ctatgatggg 17,950 18,216 ttttaaaatg aattatcaag ttaatggtta ccctaacatg tttatcaccc 18,000 18,266 gcgaagaagc tataagacat gtacgtgcat ggattggctt cgatgtcgag 18,050 18,316 gggtgtcatg ctactagaga agctgttggt accaatttac ctttacagct 18,100 18,366 aggtttttct acaggtgtta acctagttgc tgtacctaca ggttatgttg 18,150 18,416 atacacctaa taatacagat ttttccagag ttagtgctaa accaccgcct 18,200 18,466 ggagatcaat ttaaacacct cataccactt atgtacaaag gacttccttg 18,250 18,516 gaatgtagtg cgtataaaga ttgtacaaat gttaagtgac acacttaaaa 18,300 18,566 atctctctga cagagtcgta tttgtcttat gggcacatgg ctttgagttg 18,350 18,616 acatctatga agtattttgt gaaaatagga cctgagcgca cctgttgtct 18,400 18,666 atgtgataga cgtgccacat gcttttccac tgcttcagac acttatgcct 18,450 18,716 gttggcatca ttctattgga tttgattacg tctataatcc gtttatgatt 18,500 18,766 gatgttcaac aatggggttt tacaggtaac ctacaaagca accatgatct 18,550 18,816 gtattgtcaa gtccatggta atgcacatgt agctagttgt gatgcaatca 18,600 18,866 tgactaggtg tctagctgtc cacgagtgct ttgttaagcg tgttgactgg 18,650 18,916 actattgaat atcctataat tggtgatgaa ctgaagatta atgcggcttg 18,700 18,966 tagaaaggtt caacacatgg ttgttaaagc tgcattatta gcagacaaat 18,750 19,016 tcccagttct tcacgacatt ggtaacccta aagctattaa gtgtgtacct 18,800 19,066 caagctgatg tagaatggaa gttctatgat gcacagcctt gtagtgacaa 18,850 19,116 agcttataaa atagaagaat tattctattc ttatgccaca cattctgaca 18,900 19,166 aattcacaga tggtgtatgc ctattttgga attgcaatgt cgatagatat 18,950 19,216 cctgctaatt ccattgtttg tagatttgac actagagtgc tatctaacct 19,000 19,266 Table 1 The ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:415) ORF lab SARS- CoV-2 taacttgcct ggttgtgatg gtggcagttt gtatgtaaat aaacatgcat 19,050 19,316 tccacacacc agcttttgat aaaagtgctt ttgttaattt aaaacaatta 19,100 19,366 ccatttttct attactctga cagtccatgt gagtctcatg gaaaacaagt 19,150 19,416 agtgtcagat atagattatg taccactaaa gtctgctacg tgtataacac 19,200 19,466 gttgcaattt aggtggtgct gtctgtagac atcatgctaa tgagtacaga 19,250 19,516 ttgtatctcg atgcttataa catgatgatc tcagctggct ttagcttgtg 19,300 19,566 ggtttacaaa caatttgata cttataacct ctggaacact tttacaagac 19,350 19,616 ttcagagttt agaaaatgtg gcttttaatg ttgtaaataa gggacacttt 19,400 19,666 gatggacaac agggtgaagt accagtttct atcattaata acactgttta 19,450 19,716 cacaaaagtt gatggtgttg atgtagaatt gtttgaaaat aaaacaacat 19,500 19,766 tacctgttaa tgtagcattt gagctttggg ctaagcgcaa cattaaacca 19,550 19,816 gtaccagagg tgaaaatact caataatttg ggtgtggaca ttgctgctaa 19,600 19,866 tactgtgatc tgggactaca aaagagatgc tccagcacat atatctacta 19,650 19,916 ttggtgtttg ttctatgact gacatagcca agaaaccaac tgaaacgatt 19,700 19,966 tgtgcaccac tcactgtctt ttttgatggt agagttgatg gtcaagtaga 19,750 20,016 cttatttaga aatgcccgta atggtgttct tattacagaa ggtagtgtta 19,800 20,066 aaggtttaca accatctgta ggtcccaaac aagctagtct taatggagtc 19,850 20,116 acattaattg gagaagccgt aaaaacacag ttcaattatt ataagaaagt 19,900 20,166 tgatggtgtt gtccaacaat tacctgaaac ttactttact cagagtagaa 19,950 20,216 atttacaaga atttaaaccc aggagtcaaa tggaaattga tttcttagaa 20,000 20,266 ttagctatgg atgaattcat tgaacggtat aaattagaag gctatgcctt 20,050 20,316 cgaacatatc gtttatggag attttagtca tagtcagtta ggtggtttac 20,100 20,366 atctactgat tggactagct aaacgtttta aggaatcacc ttttgaatta 20,150 20,416 gaagatttta ttcctatgga cagtacagtt aaaaactatt tcataacaga 20,200 20,466 tgcgcaaaca ggttcatcta agtgtgtgtg ttctgttatt gatttattac 20,250 20,516 ttgatgattt tgttgaaata ataaaatccc aagatttatc tgtagtttct 20,300 20,566 aaggttgtca aagtgactat tgactataca gaaatttcat ttatgctttg 20,350 20,616 gtgtaaagat ggccatgtag aaacatttta cccaaaatta caatctagtc 20,400 20,666 aagcgtggca accgggtgtt gctatgccta atctttacaa aatgcaaaga 20,450 20,716 atgctattag aaaagtgtga ccttcaaaat tatggtgata gtgcaacatt 20,500 20,766 acctaaaggc ataatgatga atgtcgcaaa atatactcaa ctgtgtcaat 20,550 20,816 atttaaacac attaacatta gctgtaccct ataatatgag agttatacat 20,600 20,866 tttggtgctg gttctgataa aggagttgca ccaggtacag ctgttttaag 20,650 20,916 acagtggttg cctacgggta cgctgcttgt cgattcagat cttaatgact 20,700 20,966 ttgtctctga tgcagattca actttgattg gtgattgtgc aactgtacat 20,750 21,016 acagctaata aatgggatct cattattagt gatatgtacg accctaagac 20,800 21,066 taaaaatgtt acaaaagaaa atgactctaa agagggtttt ttcacttaca 20,850 21,116 tttgtgggtt tatacaacaa aagctagctc ttggaggttc cgtggctata 20,900 21,166 aagataacag aacattcttg gaatgctgat ctttataagc tcatgggaca 20,950 21,216 cttcgcatgg tggacagcct ttgttactaa tgtgaatgcg tcatcatctg 21,000 21,266 aagcattttt aattggatgt aattatcttg gcaaaccacg cgaacaaata 21,050 21,316 gatggttatg tcatgcatgc aaattacata ttttggagga atacaaatcc 21,100 21,366 aattcagttg tcttcctatt ctttatttga catgagtaaa tttcccctta 21,150 21,416 aattaagggg tactgctgtt atgtctttaa aagaaggtca aatcaatgat 21,200 21,466 atgattttat ctcttcttag taaaggtaga cttataatta gagaaaacaa 21,250 21,516 cagagttgtt atttctagtg atgttcttgt taacaactaa 21,290 21,556 B. The S Gene

[0013] The S gene encodes the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The S protein of SARS-CoV is functionally cleaved into two subunits: the SI domain and the S2 domain (He, Y. et al. (2004) “Receptor-Binding Domain Of SARS-CoV Spike Protein Induces Highly Potent Neutralizing Antibodies: Implication For Developing Subunit Vaccine,” Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 324:773-781). The SARS-CoV SI domain mediates receptor binding, while the SARS-CoV S2 domain mediates membrane fusion (Li, F. (2016) “Structure, Function, And Evolution Of Coronavirus Spike Proteins,” Annu. Rev. Virol. 3:237-261; He, Y. et al. (2004) “Receptor-Binding Domain Of SARS-CoV Spike Protein Induces Highly Potent Neutralizing Antibodies: Implication For Developing Subunit Vaccine, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 324:773-781). The S gene of SARS-CoV-2 may have a similar function. Thus, the spike protein of coronaviruses is considered crucial for determining host tropism and transmission capacity (Lu, G. etal. (2015) “Bat-To-Human: Spike Features Determining ‘Host Jump’ Of Coronaviruses SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, And Beyond,” Trends Microbiol. 23:468-478; Wang, Q. et al. (2016) “MERS-CoV Spike Protein: Targets For Vaccines And Therapeutics,” Antiviral. Res. 133:165-177). In this regard, the S2 domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein shows high sequence identity (93%) with bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21, but the SARS-CoV-2 SI domain shows a much lower degree of identity (68%) with these bat-derived viruses (Lu, R. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterisation And Epidemiology Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications For Virus Origins And Receptor Binding,” Lancet 395(10224):565-574). Thus, SARS-CoV-2 may bind to a different receptor than that bound by its related bat-derived viruses. It has been proposed that SARS-CoV-2 may bind to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a cell receptor (Lu, R. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterisation And Epidemiology Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications For Virus Origins And Receptor Binding,” Lancet 395(10224):565-574).

[0014] The sequence of the positive sense (“sense”) strand of the S Gene of SARS-CoV-2 of GenBank NC_045512 (SEQ ID NO:16) is shown in Table 2. Table 2 The S Gene of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:16) s Gene SARS- CoV-2 atgtttgttt ttcttgtttt attgccacta gtctctagtc agtgtgttaa 50 21,612 tcttacaacc agaactcaat taccccctgc atacactaat tctttcacac 100 21,662 Table 2 The S Gene of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:16) s Gene SARS-CoV-2 gtggtgttta ttaccctgac aaagttttca gatcctcagt tttacattca 150 21,712 actcaggact tgttcttacc tttcttttcc aatgttactt ggttccatgc 200 21,762 tatacatgtc tctgggacca atggtactaa gaggtttgat aaccctgtcc 250 21,812 taccatttaa tgatggtgtt tattttgctt ccactgagaa gtctaacata 300 21,862 ataagaggct ggatttttgg tactacttta gattcgaaga cccagtccct 350 21,912 acttattgtt aataacgcta ctaatgttgt tattaaagtc tgtgaatttc 400 21,962 aattttgtaa tgatccattt ttgggtgttt attaccacaa aaacaacaaa 450 22,012 agttggatgg aaagtgagtt cagagtttat tctagtgcga ataattgcac 500 22,062 ttttgaatat gtctctcagc cttttcttat ggaccttgaa ggaaaacagg 550 22,112 gtaatttcaa aaatcttagg gaatttgtgt ttaagaatat tgatggttat 600 22,162 tttaaaatat attctaagca cacgcctatt aatttagtgc gtgatctccc 650 22,212 tcagggtttt tcggctttag aaccattggt agatttgcca ataggtatta 700 22,262 acatcactag gtttcaaact ttacttgctt tacatagaag ttatttgact 750 22,312 cctggtgatt cttcttcagg ttggacagct ggtgctgcag cttattatgt 800 22,362 gggttatctt caacctagga cttttctatt aaaatataat gaaaatggaa 850 22,412 ccattacaga tgctgtagac tgtgcacttg accctctctc agaaacaaag 900 22,462 tgtacgttga aatccttcac tgtagaaaaa ggaatctatc aaacttctaa 950 22,512 ctttagagtc caaccaacag aatctattgt tagatttcct aatattacaa 1,000 22,562 acttgtgccc ttttggtgaa gtttttaacg ccaccagatt tgcatctgtt 1,050 22,612 tatgcttgga acaggaagag aatcagcaac tgtgttgctg attattctgt 1,100 22,662 cctatataat tccgcatcat tttccacttt taagtgttat ggagtgtctc 1,150 22,712 ctactaaatt aaatgatctc tgctttacta atgtctatgc agattcattt 1,200 22,762 gtaattagag gtgatgaagt cagacaaatc gctccagggc aaactggaaa 1,250 22,812 gattgctgat tataattata aattaccaga tgattttaca ggctgcgtta 1,300 22,862 tagcttggaa ttctaacaat cttgattcta aggttggtgg taattataat 1,350 22,912 tacctgtata gattgtttag gaagtctaat ctcaaacctt ttgagagaga 1,400 22,962 tatttcaact gaaatctatc aggccggtag cacaccttgt aatggtgttg 1,450 23,012 aaggttttaa ttgttacttt cctttacaat catatggttt ccaacccact 1,500 23,062 aatggtgttg gttaccaacc atacagagta gtagtacttt cttttgaact 1,550 23,112 tctacatgca ccagcaactg tttgtggacc taaaaagtct actaatttgg 1,600 23,162 ttaaaaacaa atgtgtcaat ttcaacttca atggtttaac aggcacaggt 1,650 23,212 gttcttactg agtctaacaa aaagtttctg cctttccaac aatttggcag 1,700 23,262 agacattgct gacactactg atgctgtccg tgatccacag acacttgaga 1,750 23,312 ttcttgacat tacaccatgt tcttttggtg gtgtcagtgt tataacacca 1,800 23,362 ggaacaaata cttctaacca ggttgctgtt ctttatcagg atgttaactg 1,850 23,412 cacagaagtc cctgttgcta ttcatgcaga tcaacttact cctacttggc 1,900 23,462 gtgtttattc tacaggttct aatgtttttc aaacacgtgc aggctgttta 1,950 23,512 ataggggctg aacatgtcaa caactcatat gagtgtgaca tacccattgg 2,000 23,562 tgcaggtata tgcgctagtt atcagactca gactaattct cctcggcggg 2,050 23,612 cacgtagtgt agctagtcaa tccatcattg cctacactat gtcacttggt 2,100 23,662 gcagaaaatt cagttgctta ctctaataac tctattgcca tacccacaaa 2,150 23,712 ttttactatt agtgttacca cagaaattct accagtgtct atgaccaaga 2,200 23,762 catcagtaga ttgtacaatg tacatttgtg gtgattcaac tgaatgcagc 2,250 23,812 aatcttttgt tgcaatatgg cagtttttgt acacaattaa accgtgcttt 2,300 23,862 aactggaata gctgttgaac aagacaaaaa cacccaagaa gtttttgcac 2,350 23,912 aagtcaaaca aatttacaaa acaccaccaa ttaaagattt tggtggtttt 2,400 23,962 aatttttcac aaatattacc agatccatca aaaccaagca agaggtcatt 2,450 24,012 Table 2 The S Gene of SARS-CoV-2 (SEQ ID NO:16) s Gene SARS-CoV-2 tattgaagat ctacttttca acaaagtgac acttgcagat gctggcttca 2,500 24,062 tcaaacaata tggtgattgc cttggtgata ttgctgctag agacctcatt 2,550 24,112 tgtgcacaaa agtttaacgg ccttactgtt ttgccacctt tgctcacaga 2,600 24,162 tgaaatgatt gctcaataca cttctgcact gttagcgggt acaatcactt 2,650 24,212 ctggttggac ctttggtgca ggtgctgcat tacaaatacc atttgctatg 2,700 24,262 caaatggctt ataggtttaa tggtattgga gttacacaga atgttctcta 2,750 24,312 tgagaaccaa aaattgattg ccaaccaatt taatagtgct attggcaaaa 2,800 24,362 ttcaagactc actttcttcc acagcaagtg cacttggaaa acttcaagat 2,850 24,412 gtggtcaacc aaaatgcaca agctttaaac acgcttgtta aacaacttag 2,900 24,462 ctccaatttt ggtgcaattt caagtgtttt aaatgatatc ctttcacgtc 2,950 24,512 ttgacaaagt tgaggctgaa gtgcaaattg ataggttgat cacaggcaga 3,000 24,562 cttcaaagtt tgcagacata tgtgactcaa caattaatta gagctgcaga 3,050 24,612 aatcagagct tctgctaatc ttgctgctac taaaatgtca gagtgtgtac 3,100 24,662 ttggacaatc aaaaagagtt gatttttgtg gaaagggcta tcatcttatg 3,150 24,712 tccttccctc agtcagcacc tcatggtgta gtcttcttgc atgtgactta 3,200 24,762 tgtccctgca caagaaaaga acttcacaac tgctcctgcc atttgtcatg 3,250 24,812 atggaaaagc acactttcct cgtgaaggtg tctttgtttc aaatggcaca 3,300 24,862 cactggtttg taacacaaag gaatttttat gaaccacaaa tcattactac 3,350 24,912 agacaacaca tttgtgtctg gtaactgtga tgttgtaata ggaattgtca 3,400 24,962 acaacacagt ttatgatcct ttgcaacctg aattagactc attcaaggag 3,450 25,012 gagttagata aatattttaa gaatcataca tcaccagatg ttgatttagg 3,500 25,062 tgacatctct ggcattaatg cttcagttgt aaacattcaa aaagaaattg 3,550 25,112 accgcctcaa tgaggttgcc aagaatttaa atgaatctct catcgatctc 3,600 25,162 caagaacttg gaaagtatga gcagtatata aaatggccat ggtacatttg 3,650 25,212 gctaggtttt atagctggct tgattgccat agtaatggtg acaattatgc 3,700 25,262 tttgctgtat gaccagttgc tgtagttgtc tcaagggctg ttgttcttgt 3,750 25,312 ggatcctgct gcaaatttga tgaagacgac tctgagccag tgctcaaagg 3,800 25,362 agtcaaatta cattacaca 3,819 25,381 II. Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2

[0015] SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in late 2019, and is believed to be a unique virus that had not previously existed. The first diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2 used a real-time 5 reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) assay that employed probes and primers of the SARS-CoV-2 E, N and nspl2 (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase; RdRp) genes (the “SARS-CoV-2-RdRp-P2” assay) (Corman, V.M. et al. (2020) “Detection Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) By Real-Time RT-PCR,” Eurosurveill. 25(3):2000045; Spiteri, G. et al. (2020) “First Cases Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (CO VID-19) In The WHO European 10 Region, 24 January To 21 February 2020,” Eurosurveill. 25(9) doi: 10.2807 / 1560-7917.ES.2020.25.9.2000178).

[0016] The probes employed in such assays were “TaqMan” oligonucleotide probes that were labeled with a fluorophore on the oligonucleotide’s 5’ terminus and complexed to a quencher on the oligonucleotide’s 3’ terminus. The “TaqMan” probe principle relies on the 5'—>3' exonuclease activity of Taq polymerase (Peake, I. (1989) “The Polymerase Chain Reaction” J. Clin. Pathol. ;42(7):673-676) to cleave the dual-labeled probe when it has hybridized to a complementary target sequence. The cleavage of the molecule separates the fluorophore from the quencher and thus leads to the production of a detectable fluorescent signal.

[0017] In the SARS-CoV-2-RdRp-P2 assay of Corman, V.M. et al. (2020), the RdRp Probe 2 and the probes of the E and N genes are described as being specific for SARS-CoV-2, whereas the RdRp Probe 2 is described as being a “PanSarbeco-Probe” that detects SARS-CoV and bat-SARS-related coronaviruses in addition to SARS-CoV-2. The assay is stated to have provided its best results using the E gene and nspl2 (RdRp) gene primers and probes (5.2 and 3.8 copies per 25 pL reaction at 95% detection probability, respectively). The resulting limit of detection (LoD) from replicate tests was 3.9 copies per 25 pL reaction (156 copies / mL) for the E gene assay and 3.6 copies per 25 pL reaction (144 copies / mL) for the nspl2 (RdRp) assay. The assay was reported to be specific for SARS-CoV-2 and to require less than 60 minutes to complete.

[0018] The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed an rRT-PCR based assay protocol that targeted the SARS-CoV-2 N gene (Won, J. et al. (2020) “Development Of A Laboratory-Safe And Low-Cost Detection Protocol For SARS-CoV-2 Of The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),” Exp. Neurobiol. 29(2) doi: 10.5607 / en20009).

[0019] Pfefferle, S. et al. (2020) (“Evaluation Of A Quantitative RT-PCR Assay For The Detection Of The Emerging Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Using A High Throughput System,” Eurosurveill. 25(9) doi: 10.2807 / 1560-7917.ES.2020.25.9.2000152) discloses the use of a custom-made primer / probe set targeting the E gene. The employed primers were modified with 2’-O-methyl bases in their penultimate base to prevent formation of primer dimers. ZEN double-quenched probe (IDT) were used to lower background fluorescence. The LoD was 689.3 copies / mL with 275.72 copies per reaction at 95% detection probability. The assay was reported to be specific for SARS-CoV-2 and to require less than 60 minutes.

[0020] Chan, J.F. et al. (2020) (^'Improved Molecular Diagnosis Of COVID-19 By The Novel, Highly Sensitive And Specific COVID- 19-RdRp / Hel Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay Validated In Vitro And With Clinical Specimens,” J. Clin. Microbiol. JCM.00310-20. doi: 10.1128 / JCM.00310-20) explored the use of conserved and / or abundantly expressed SARS-CoV-2 genes as preferred targets of coronavirus RT-PCR assays. Such genes include the structural S and N genes, and the non-structural RdRp gene and ORFlab. Chan, J.F. et al. (2020) describes the development of three real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (rRT-PCR) assays targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp)Zhelicase (Hei), spike (S), and nucleocapsid (N) genes of SARS-CoV-2 and compares such assays to the RdRp-P2 assay of Corman, V.M. et al. The LoD of the SARS-CoV-2-RdRp / Hel assay, the SARS-CoV-2-S assay, and the SARS-CoV-2-N assay was 1.8 TCIDso / ml, while the LoD of the SARS-CoV-2-RdRp-P2 assay was 18 TCIDWml. The TCID50 is the median tissue culture infectious dose.

[0021] An rt-PCR-based assay protocol targeting the E, N, S and RdRp genes was designed for specimen self-collection from a subject via pharyngeal swab. The assay required Trizol-based RNA purification, and detection was accomplished via an RT-PCR assay using SYBR Green as a detection fluor. The assay was reported to require approximately 4 hours to complete (Won, J. et al. (2020) (“Development Of A Laboratory-Safe And Low-Cost Detection Protocol For SARS-CoV-2 Of The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),” Exp. Neurobiol. 29(2) doi: 10.5607 / en20009).

[0022] Although prior rRT-PCR assays, such as the SARS-CoV-2-RdRp-P2 assay of Corman V.M. et al., are capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2, researchers have found them to suffer from major deficiencies. In use, such prior assays have been found to require laborious batch-wise manual processing and to not permit random access to individual samples (Cordes, A.K. et al. (2020) “Rapid Random Access Detection Of The Novel SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2, Previously 2019-nCoV) Using An Open Access Protocol For The Panther Fusion,” J. Clin. Virol. 125:104305 doi: 10.1016 / j.jcv.2020.104305). Additionally, long turnaround times and complicated operations are required. These factors cause such assays to generally take more than 2-3 hours to generate results. Due to such factors, certified laboratories are required to process such assays. The need for expensive equipment and trained technicians to perform such prior rRT-PCR assays encumbers the use of such assays in the field or at mobile locations. Thus, researchers have found such prior assays to have limited suitability for use in the rapid and simple diagnosis and screening of patients required to contain an outbreak (Li, Z. et al. (2020) “Development and Clinical Application of A Rapid IgM-IgG Combined Antibody Test for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Diagnosis,” J. Med. Virol, doi: 10.1002 / jmv.25727).

[0023] More significantly, prior rRT-PCR assays, such as the SARS-CoV-2-RdRp-P2 assay of Corman V.M. et al., have been found to lack specificity for SARS-CoV-2 (crossreacting with SARS-CoV or other pathogens) (Chan, J.F. etal. (2020) “Improved Molecular Diagnosis Of COVID-19 By The Novel, Highly Sensitive And Specific COVID-19-RdRp / Hel Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay Validated In Vitro And With Clinical Specimens,” J. Clin. Microbiol. JCM.00310-20) and to provide a significant number of false negative results (Li, Z. et al. (2020) “Development and Clinical Application of A Rapid IgM-IgG Combined Antibody Test for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Diagnosis,” J. Med. Virol, doi: 10.1002 / jmv.25727).

[0024] For example, in a retrospective analysis of 4880 clinically-identified COVID-19 patients, samples obtained from the respiratory tracts of the patients were subjected to rRT-PCR amplification of the SARS-CoV-2 open reading frame lab (ORFlab) and nucleocapsid protein (N) genes. Nasal and pharyngeal swabs of patients were evaluated for COVID-19 using a quantitative rRT-PCR (qRT-PCR) test. Only 38.42% (1875 of 4880) of actual COVID-19 patients were identified as positive using the rRT-PCR test. Of those testing positive, 39.80% were positive as determined by probes of the SARS-CoV-2 N gene and 40.98% were positive as determined by probes of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab (Liu, R. et al. (2020) “Positive Rate Of RT-PCR Detection Of SARS-CoV-2 Infection In 4880 Cases From One Hospital In Wuhan, China, From Jan To Feb 2020,” Clinica Chimica Acta 505:172175).

[0025] The study of Chan, J.F. et al. (2020) (''Improved Molecular Diagnosis Of COVID-19 By The Novel, Highly Sensitive And Specific COVID-19-RdRp / Hel Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay Validated In Vitro And With Clinical Specimens,” J. Clin. Microbiol. JCM.00310-20. doi: 10.1128 / JCM.00310-20) found that of 273 specimens from 15 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, only 28% were SARS-CoV-2 positive by both the SARS-CoV-2-RdRp / Hel and RdRp-P2 assays. The SARS-CoV-2-RdRp / Hel assay was more sensitive, but still confirmed only 43.6% of the patients as having SARS-CoV-2 infection.

[0026] In a different study, RNA was extracted from 1070 clinical samples of 205 patients suffering from COVID-19. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) was then used to amplify SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab in order to confirm the COVID-19 diagnosis (Wang, W. et al. (2020) (“Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Different Types of Clinical Specimens,” JAMA doi: 10.1001 / jama.2020.3786). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens were reported to exhibit the highest positive rates (14 of 15; 93%), followed by sputum (72 of 104; 72%), nasal swabs (5 of 8; 63%), fibrobronchoscope brush biopsy (6 of 13; 46%), pharyngeal swabs (126 of 398; 32%), feces (44 of 153; 29%), and blood (3 of 307; 1%). None of the 72 urine specimens tested indicated a positive result. Thus, for example, pharyngeal swabs from such actual COVID-19 patients failed to accurately diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection in 68% of those tested. Zhang, W. et al. (2020) (“Molecular And Serological Investigation Of 2019-nCoV Infected Patients: Implication Of Multiple Shedding Routes,” Emerg. Microbes Infect. 9(1):386-389) also discloses the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in feces of COVID-19 patients, however, its rRT-PCR assay results showed more anal swab positives than oral swab positives in a later stage of infection, suggesting viral shedding and the capacity of the infection to be transmitted through an oral-fecal route. A similar teaching is provided by Tang, A. et al. (2020) (“Detection of Novel Coronavirus by RT-PCR in Stool Specimen from Asymptomatic Child, China,” Emerg Infect Dis. 26(6). doi: 10.3201 / eid2606.200301), which discloses that RT-PCR assays targeting ORFlab and nucleoprotein N gene failed to detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swab and sputum samples, but were able to detect virus in stool samples. 2021246903   09 Jun 2026

[0027] In a further study of individuals suffering from COVID-19, repeated assays for SARS-CoV-2 were also found to report negative results (Wu, X. et al. (2020) (“Co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A Virus in Patient with Pneumonia, China,” 26(6):pages 17. The publication teaches that existing assays for SARS-CoV-2 lack sufficient sensitivity, 5 and thus lead to false negative diagnoses.

[0028] In light of the deficiencies encountered in using prior rRT-PCR assays, such as the SARS-CoV-2-RdRp-P2 assay of Corman V.M. et al., other approaches to assaying for SARS-CoV-2 have been explored. Li, Z. et al. (2020) (“Development and Clinical 10 Application of A Rapid IgM-IgG Combined Antibody Test for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Diagnosis,” J. Med. Virol. doi: 10.1002 / jmv.25727) teaches that a point-of-care lateral flow immunoassay could be used to simultaneously detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies in human blood and thus avoid the problems of the RdRp-P2 assay of Corman, V.M. et al. Immunoassays, however, may fail to discriminate between individuals suffering 15 from COVID-19 and individuals who were previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, but have since recovered.

[0029] In sum, despite all prior efforts a need remains for a method of rapidly and accurately assaying for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. The present invention is directed to 20 this and other goals. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

[0030] The present invention is directed to methods for assaying for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a sample, including a clinical sample, and to oligonucleotides, reagents, and kits 25 useful in such assays. In particular, the present invention is directed to such assays that are rapid, accurate and specific for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. [0030a] In one aspect, the present invention provides a kit for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a clinical sample, wherein said kit comprises two detectably labeled 30 oligonucleotides, wherein the detectable labels of said oligonucleotides are distinguishable, and wherein one of said two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide consisting of the 2021246903   09 Jun 2026 nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and the second of said two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and wherein said kit permits a determination of the presence or 5 absence of both SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and SARS-CoV-2 S gene in said clinical sample. [0030b] In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a clinical sample, wherein said method comprises incubating said clinical sample in the presence of two detectably labeled oligonucleotides, wherein the 10 detectable labels of said oligonucleotides are distinguishable, and wherein one of said two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and the second of said two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide 15 consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8; wherein said method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in said clinical sample by detecting the presence of both SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and SARS-CoV-2 S gene.

[0031] In detail, the invention provides a detectably labeled oligonucleotide that is capable 20 of specifically hybridizing to a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence that consists of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8.

[0032] The invention additionally provides a kit for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a clinical sample, wherein the kit comprises a detectably labeled oligonucleotide that is capable of specifically hybridizing to a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8.

[0033] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such kit, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and wherein the kit permits a determination of the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab in a clinical sample.

[0034] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such kit, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and wherein the kit permits a determination of the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene in a clinical sample.

[0035] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such kits, wherein the kit comprises two detectably labeled oligonucleotides, wherein the detectable labels of the oligonucleotides are distinguishable, and wherein one of the two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and the second of the two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8.

[0036] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such kits, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a TaqMan probe, a molecular beacon probe, a scorpion primer-probe, or a HyBeacon probe.

[0037] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such kits, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is fluorescently labeled.

[0038] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such kits, wherein the kit permits the detection of the D614G polymorphism of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2.

[0039] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such kits, wherein the kit is a multi-chambered, fluidic device.

[0040] The invention additionally provides a method for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a clinical sample, wherein the method comprises incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of a detectably labeled oligonucleotide that is capable of specifically hybridizing to a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8; wherein the method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the clinical sample by detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab and / or SARS-CoV-2 S gene.

[0041] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such method, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and wherein the method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the clinical sample by detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab.

[0042] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such method, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and wherein the method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the clinical sample by detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 S gene.

[0043] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such methods, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is fluorescently labeled.

[0044] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such methods, wherein the method comprises incubating the clinical sample in the presence of two detectably labeled oligonucleotides, wherein the detectable labels of the oligonucleotides are distinguishable, and wherein one of the two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and the second of the two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8; wherein the method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the clinical sample by detecting the presence of both SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab and SARS-CoV-2 S gene.

[0045] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such method, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is fluorescently labeled.

[0046] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such methods, wherein the method detects the presence or absence of the D614G polymorphism of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2.

[0047] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such methods, wherein the method comprises a PCR amplification of the SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide.

[0048] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such methods, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a TaqMan probe, a molecular beacon probe, a scorpion primer-probe, or a HyBeacon probe.

[0049] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such methods, wherein the method comprises a LAMP amplification of the SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide.

[0050] The invention additionally provides an oligonucleotide that comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, wherein the oligonucleotide has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:17-42, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:71-84, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs:113-126, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, any of SEQ ID NOs:398-402, any of SEQ ID N0s:403-406, SEQ ID NO:411, or SEQ ID NO:412.

[0051] The invention additionally provides such an oligonucleotide wherein the oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, wherein the oligonucleotide has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, or comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, any of SEQ ID N0s:403-406, SEQ ID NO:411, or SEQ ID NO:412.

[0052] The invention additionally provides such an oligonucleotide wherein the oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, wherein the oligonucleotide has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that consists essentially of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:10.

[0053] The invention additionally provides such an oligonucleotide wherein the oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, wherein the oligonucleotide has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that consists essentially of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ ID NO:12.

[0054] The invention additionally provides a TaqMan probe capable of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, wherein the probe comprises an oligonucleotide, having a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein the 5’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is labeled with a fluorophore and the 3’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher of such fluorophore.

[0055] The invention additionally provides such a TaqMan probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166.

[0056] The invention additionally provides such a TaqMan probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO: 12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381.

[0057] The invention additionally provides such a TaqMan probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363.

[0058] The invention additionally provides a molecular beacon probe capable of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, wherein the probe comprises an oligonucleotide, having a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein such a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and another of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectable label.

[0059] The invention additionally provides such a molecular beacon probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166.

[0060] The invention additionally provides such a molecular beacon probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO: 12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381.

[0061] The invention additionally provides such a molecular beacon probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363.

[0062] The invention additionally provides a scorpion primer-probe capable of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, wherein the probe comprises an oligonucleotide, having a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein such a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and the other of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectably label, and wherein such 3’ oligonucleotide further comprises a polymerization blocking moiety, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide positioned 3’ from said blocking moiety.

[0063] The invention additionally provides such a scorpion primer-probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166.

[0064] The invention additionally provides such a scorpion primer-probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO: 12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381.

[0065] The invention additionally provides such a scorpion primer-probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363.

[0066] The invention additionally provides such a scorpion primer-probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the PCR primer oligonucleotide has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, or any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112.

[0067] The invention additionally provides a HyBeacon™ probe capable of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, wherein the probe comprises an oligonucleotide, having a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein at least one nucleotide residue of such SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain is detectably labeled.

[0068] The invention additionally provides such a HyBeacon™ probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363.

[0069] The invention additionally provides the embodiment of the above-described oligonucleotides, TaqMan probes, molecular beacon probes, scorpion primer-probes, or HyBeacon ™ probes, wherein the detectable label is a fluorophore that has an excitation wavelength within the range of about 352-690 nm and an emission wavelength that is within the range of about 447-705 nm. The invention additionally provides the embodiment of such oligonucleotides, wherein the fluorophore is JOE or FAM.

[0070] The invention additionally provides an oligonucleotide primer capable of amplifying an oligonucleotide portion of a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide present in a sample, wherein such oligonucleotide primer has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of: SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:6, any of SEQ ID NOs: 17-28, any of SEQ ID NOs:29-42, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:71-84, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs: 113-126, or any of SEQ ID NOs:398-410.

[0071] The invention additionally provides an oligonucleotide that has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4.

[0072] The invention additionally provides an oligonucleotide that has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

[0073] Figure 1 provides an illustration of the structure of SARS-CoV-2 and its open reading frames (ORFs). The sequence presented is that of the reference SARS-CoV-2 sequence (GenBank NC_045512).

[0074] Figure 2 shows the alignment and orientation of a Forward ORFlab Primer and Reverse ORFlab Primer of the present invention and the region of ORFlab that these primers amplify in an rRT-PCR assay of SARS-CoV-2. Primer sequences are shown in underlined upper case letters; probe sequences are shown in boxed uppercase letters.

[0075] Figure 3 shows the alignment and orientation of a Forward S Gene Primer and Reverse S Gene Primer of the present invention and the region of the S gene that these primers amplify in an rRT-PCR assay of SARS-CoV-2. Primer sequences are shown in underlined upper case letters; probe sequences are shown in boxed uppercase letters. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

[0076] The present invention is directed to methods for assaying for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a sample, including a clinical sample, and to oligonucleotides, reagents, and kits useful in such assays. In particular, the present invention is directed to such assays that are rapid, accurate and specific for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

[0077] As used herein, an assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 is said to be “specific” for SARS-CoV-2 if it can be conducted under conditions that permit it to detect SARS-CoV-2 without exhibiting cross-reactivity to human DNA, or to DNA (or cDNA) of other pathogens, especially other coronavirus pathogens. The assays of the present invention detect SARS-CoV-2 by detecting the presence of a “SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide” nucleic acid molecule in a clinical sample. As used herein, a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide nucleic acid molecule is an RNA or DNA molecule that comprises the genome of SARS-CoV-2 or a portion of a gene or open reading frame (ORF) thereof (i.e., at least 1,000 nucleotides, at least 2,000 nucleotides, at least 5,000 nucleotides, at least 10,000 nucleotides, or at least 20,000 nucleotides of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, or more preferably, the entire SARS-CoV-2 genome of 29,903 nucleotides).

[0078] In particular, an assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 is said to be specific for SARS-CoV-2 if it can be conducted under conditions that permit it to detect SARS-CoV-2 without exhibiting cross-reactivity to DNA (or cDNA) of Influenza A, Influenza B, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes}, Parainfluenza I, Parainfluenza III, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Enterovirus or Adenovirus, or to SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, or bat-derived Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-like coronaviruses, such as bat-SL-CoVZC45 or bat-SL-CoVZXC21. More preferably, an assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 is said to be specific for SARS-CoV-2 if it can be conducted under conditions that permit it to detect SARS-CoV-2 without exhibiting crossreactivity to DNA (or cDNA) of Adenovirus 1, Bordetella pertussis, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Coronavirus 229E, Coronavirus NL63, Coronavirus OC43, Enterovirus 68, Haemophilus influenzae, Human metapneumovirus (hMPV-9), Influenza A H3N2 (Hong Kong 8 / 68), Influenza B (Phuket 3073 / 2013), Legionella pneumophilia, MERS Coronavirus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Parainfluenza Type 1, Parainfluenza Type 2,Parainfluenza Type 3, Parainfluenza Type 4A, Rhinovirus B14, RSV A Long, RSV B Washington, SARS-Coronavirus, SARS-Coronavirus HKU39849, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, human leukocytes, or pooled human nasal fluid.

[0079] As used herein, an assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 is said to be “accurate” for SARS-CoV-2 if it is capable of detecting a viral dose of 400 copies / ml of SARS-CoV-2 with an LoD of at least 80%, and of detecting a viral dose of 500 copies / ml of SARS-CoV-2 with an LoD of at least 90%.

[0080] As used herein, an assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 is said to be “rapid” for SARS-CoV-2 if it is capable of providing a determination of the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2 within 2 hours, and more preferably within 90 minutes and most preferably, within 1 hour after the commencement of the assay. III. Preferred Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2

[0081] The present invention provides an assay for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a “clinical sample”. Such detection may be accomplished in situ or in vitro, but is preferably conducted in vitro. The clinical samples that may be evaluated in accordance with the present invention include any that may contain SARS-CoV-2, and include blood samples, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens, fecal samples, fibrobronchoscope brush biopsy samples, nasal swab samples, nasopharyngeal swab samples, pharyngeal swab sample, oral samples (including saliva samples, sputum samples, etc.) and urine samples. Preferably, however, the employed clinical sample will be a nasal swab sample, a nasopharyngeal swab sample, a pharyngeal swab sample, or a sputum sample, and most preferably, the employed clinical sample will be a nasopharyngeal swab sample. In one embodiment, the sample will be pre-treated to extract RNA that may be present in the sample. Alternatively, and more preferably, the sample will be evaluated without prior RNA extraction. A. Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) Assay Formats

[0082] In one embodiment, the present invention preferably uses a real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. rRT-PCR assays are well known and widely deployed in diagnostic virology (see, e.g., Pang, J. et al. (2020) “Potential Rapid Diagnostics, Vaccine and Therapeutics for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): A Systematic Review,” J. Clin. Med. 26;9(3)E623 doi: 10.3390 / jcm9030623; Kralik, P. et al. (2017) “A Basic Guide to Real-Time PCR in Microbial Diagnostics: Definitions, Parameters, and Everything,” Front. Microbiol. 8:108. doi: 10.3389 / fmicb.2017.00108).

[0083] To more easily describe the rRT-PCR assays of the present invention, such assays may be envisioned as involving multiple reaction steps: (1) the reverse transcription of SARS-CoV-2 RNA that may be present in the clinical sample that is to be evaluated for SARS-CoV-2 presence; (2) the PCR-mediated amplification of the SARS-CoV-2 cDNA produced from such reverse transcription; (3) the hybridization of SARS-CoV-2-specific probes to such amplification products; (4)    the double-strand-dependent 5'—>3' exonuclease cleavage of the hybridized SARS- CoV-2-specific probes; and (5) the detection of the unquenched probe fluorophores signifying that the evaluated clinical sample contained SARS-CoV-2.

[0084] It will be understood that such steps may be conducted separately (for example, in two or more reaction chambers, or with reagents for the different steps being added at differing times, e / c.). However, it is preferred that such steps are to be conducted within the same reaction chamber, and that all reagents needed for the rRT-PCR assays of the present invention are to be provided to the reaction chamber at the start of the assay. It will also be understood that although the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (see, e.g. Ghannam, M,G, et al. (2020) “Biochemistry, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR),” StatPearls Publishing, Treasure Is.; pp.1-4; Lorenz, T.C. (2012) “Polymerase Chain Reaction: Basic Protocol Plus Troubleshooting And Optimization Strategies,” J. Vis. Exp. 2012 May 22;(63):e3998; pp. 1- 15) is the preferred method of amplifying SARS-CoV-2 cDNA produced via reverse transcription, other DNA amplification technologies could alternatively be employed.

[0085] Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment, the rRT-PCR assays of the present invention comprise incubating a clinical sample in the presence of a DNA polymerase, a reverse transcriptase, one or more pairs of SARS-CoV-2-specific primers, one or more SARS-CoV-2-specific probes (typically, at least one probe for each region being amplified by an employed pair of primers), deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) and buffers. The conditions of the incubation are cycled to permit the reverse transcription of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, the amplification of SARS-CoV-2 cDNA, the hybridization of SARS-CoV-2-specific probes to such cDNA, the cleavage of the hybridized SARS-CoV-2-specific probes and the detection of unquenched probe fluorophores. The reverse transcriptase is needed only to produce a cDNA version of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

[0086] The rRT-PCR assays of the present invention employ at least one set of at least one “Forward” primer that hybridizes to a polynucleotide domain of a first strand of a DNA molecule, and at least one “Reverse” primer that hybridizes to a polynucleotide domain of a second (and complementary) strand of such DNA molecule.

[0087] Preferably, such Forward and Reverse primers will permit the amplification of a region of ORFlab, which encodes a non-structural polyprotein of SARS-CoV-2 and / or a region of the S gene, which encodes the virus spike surface glycoprotein and is required for host cell targeting. The SARS-CoV-2 spike surface glycoprotein is a key protein for specifically characterizing a coronavirus as being SARS-CoV-2 (Chen, Y. et al. (2020) "Structure Analysis Of The Receptor Binding Of 2019-Ncovf Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 525:135-140; Masters, P.S. (2006) "The Molecular Biology Of Coronaviruses f Adv. Virus Res. 66:193-292). The amplification of either of such targets alone is sufficient for the specific determination of SARS-CoV-2 presence in clinical samples. It is, however, preferred to assay for SARS-CoV-2 by incubating nucleic acid molecules of a clinical sample under conditions sufficient to amplify both such targets, if present therein, and then determining whether both such amplified products are detectable.

[0088] The present invention encompasses methods, kits and oligonucleotides sufficient to amplify any portion of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab. The nucleotide sequence of an exemplary ORFlab region is provided as SEQ ID NO:415. The primers of the present invention thus include any two or more oligonucleotide SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab primers, each being of 15, 16, 17,18, 19,20 or more than 20 nucleotide residues in length, that is capable of specifically hybridizing to SEQ ID NO:415, or its complement, and of mediating the amplification of an oligonucleotide region (for example, via PCR, Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), rolling circle amplification, ligase chain reaction amplification, stranddisplacement amplification, bind-wash PCR, singing wire PCR, NASBA, etc.) thereof that is capable of specifically hybridizing to SEQ ID NO:415. Preferably, such amplified region of SEQ ID NO:415 will be greater than about 20 nucleotide residues in length, and preferably less than about 50 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 100 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 150 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 200 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 300 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 400 nucleotide residues in length, and most preferably less than about 500 nucleotide residues in length. The present invention further encompasses one or more detectably-labeled SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab probe oligonucleotide(s) (and especially fluorophore labeled oligonucleotides, as discussed in detail below), that is capable of specifically hybridizing to such amplified region of SEQ ID NO:415, and of detecting the presence of such amplified region, for example, by comprising a molecular beacon probe, HyBeacon® probe, scorpion primer-probe, TaqMan probe, biotinylated oligoprobe, etc.

[0089] The present invention additionally encompasses methods, kits and oligonucleotides sufficient to amplify any portion of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene. The nucleotide sequence of an exemplary S gene is provided as SEQ ID NO:16. The primers of the present invention thus include any two or more oligonucleotide SARS-CoV-2 S gene primers, each being of 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or more than 20 nucleotide residues in length, that is capable of specifically hybridizing to SEQ ID NO: 16, or its complement, and of mediating the amplification of an oligonucleotide region (for example, via PCR, Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), rolling circle amplification, ligase chain reaction amplification, strand-displacement amplification, bind-wash PCR, singing wire PCR, NASBA, etc.) thereof that is capable of specifically hybridizing to SEQ ID NO:16. Preferably, such amplified region of SEQ ID NO: 16 will be greater than about 20 nucleotide residues in length, and preferably less than about 50 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 100 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 150 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 200 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 300 nucleotide residues in length, more preferably less than about 400 nucleotide residues in length, and most preferably less than about 500 nucleotide residues in length. The present invention further encompasses one or more detectably-labeled SARS-CoV-2 S gene probe oligonucleotide(s) (and especially fluorophore labeled oligonucleotides, as discussed in detail below), that is capable of specifically hybridizing to such amplified region of SEQ ID NO: 16, and of detecting the presence of such amplified region, for example, by comprising a molecular beacon probe, HyBeacon® probe, scorpion primer-probe, TaqMan probe, biotinylated oligoprobe, etc. 1. Preferred ORFlab Primers

[0090] The amplification of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab is preferably mediated using a “Forward ORFlab Primer” and a “Reverse ORFlab Primer,” whose sequences are suitable for amplifying a region of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab. Although any Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers capable of mediating such amplification may be employed in accordance with the present invention, it is preferred to employ Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers that possess distinctive advantages. The preferred Forward ORFlab Primer of the present invention comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, the sequence (SEQ ID NO:1) atggtagagttgatggtcaa, which corresponds to the nucleotide sequence of nucleotides 19991-20010 of the sense-strand of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab, or is a variant thereof. The preferred Reverse ORFlab Primer of the present invention comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, the sequence (SEQ ID NO:2) taagactagcttgtttggga, which corresponds to the nucleotide sequence of nucleotides 2008820107 of the anti-sense-strand of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab, or is a variant thereof. Primers that consist essentially of the sequences of SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:2 amplify a double-stranded oligonucleotide having the sequence of nucleotides 19991-20107 of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab. Such preferred “Forward ORFlab Primer” and preferred “Reverse ORFlab Primer” have distinctive attributes for use in the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

[0091] The sequence of the “sense” strand of nucleotides 19991-20107 of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab is SEQ ID NO:3; the sequence of the complement (“anti-sense”) strand is SEQ ID NO:4: SEQ ID NO:3: atggtagagt tgatggtcaa gtagacttat ttagaaatgc ccgtaatggt gttcttatta cagaaggtag tgttaaaggt ttacaaccat ctgtaggtcc caaacaagct agtctta SEQ ID NO:4: taagactagc ttgtttggga cctacagatg gttgtaaacc tttaacacta ccttctgtaa taagaacacc attacgggca tttctaaata agtctacttg accatcaact ctaccat

[0092] Such oligonucleotides illustrate the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotides that may be amplified using the ORFlab primers of the present invention.

[0093] While it is preferred to detect the presence of the ORFlab using primers that consist of the sequences of SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:2, the invention contemplates that other primers that consist essentially of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or that consist essentially of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 (in that they possess 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 additional nucleotide residues, but retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and more preferably retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of complement of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or the nucleotide sequence of complement of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:2), or “variants” of such primers that retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and more preferably retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of complement of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or the nucleotide sequence of complement of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:2, could be employed in accordance with the principles and goals of the present invention. Such “Variant ORFlab Primers” may, for example: (1) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:1 or of SEQ ID NO:2, or (2) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the 10 3’ terminal nucleotides of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or of SEQ ID NO:2, or (3) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the 10 5’ terminal nucleotides of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or of SEQ ID NO:2, or (4) have a sequence that differs from that of SEQ ID NO:1 or of SEQ ID NO:2 in having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than 10 additional nucleotides, or 5   (5) have a sequence that differs from that of SEQ ID NO:1 or of SEQ ID NO:2 in having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than 10 substitution nucleotides in lieu of the nucleotides present in SEQ ID NO :1 or of SEQ ID NO :2, or (6) combinations of such (1)-(5). Non-limiting examples of such primers are shown in Table 3 and Table 4. Table 3 Illustrative Variants of the Preferred Forward ORFlab Primer SEQ ID NO Sequence 17 atggtagagttgatggtca 18 atggtagagttgatggtc 19 atggtagagttgatggt 20 atggtagagttgatgg 21 atggtagagttgatg 22 tggtagagttgatggtcaa 23 ggtagagttgatggtcaa 24 gtagagttgatggtcaa 25 tagagttgatggtcaa 26 agagttgatggtcaa 27 tggtagagttgatggtca 28 ggtagagttgatggtc 10 Table 4 Illustrative Variants of the Preferred Reverse ORFlab Primer SEQ ID NO Sequence 29 taagactagcttgtttggg 30 taagactagcttgtttgg 31 taagactagcttgtttg 32 taagactagcttgttt 33 taagactagcttgtt 34 aagactagcttgtttggga 35 agactagcttgtttggga 36 gactagcttgtttggga 37 actagcttgtttggga 38 ctagcttgtttggga 39 aagactagcttgtttggg 40 agactagcttgtttggg 41 agactagcttgtttgg 42 gactagcttgtttgg

[0094] The alignment and relative orientation of the preferred Forward ORFlab Primer (SEQ ID NO:1) and Reverse ORFlab Primer (SEQ ID NO:2) of the present invention and the region of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab that these primers amplify in a rRT-PCR assay of 5 SARS-CoV-2 are shown in Figure 2. 2. Preferred S Gene Primers

[0095] The amplification of SARS-CoV-2 S gene is preferably mediated using a “Forward S Gene Primer” and a “Reverse S Gene Primer,” whose sequences are suitable 10 for amplifying a region of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene. Although any Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers capable of mediating such amplification may be employed in accordance with the present invention, it is preferred to employ Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers that possess distinctive advantages. The preferred Forward S Gene Primer of the present invention comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, the sequence (SEQ ID NO:5) ctaaccaggttgctgttctt, which corresponds to the nucleotide sequence of nucleotides 2337623395 of the sense-strand of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, or is a variant thereof. The preferred Reverse S Gene Primer comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, the sequence (SEQ ID NO:6) cctgtagaataaacacgcca, which corresponds to the nucleotide sequence of nucleotides 23459-23478 of the anti-sense-strand of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, or is a variant thereof. Primers that consist essentially of the sequences of SEQ ID NO:5 and SEQ ID NO:6 amplify a double-stranded oligonucleotide having the sequence of nucleotides 2337623478 of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene. Such preferred “Forward S Gene Primer” and preferred “Reverse S Gene Primer” have distinctive attributes for use in the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

[0096] The sequence of the “sense” strand of nucleotides 23376-23478 of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene is SEQ ID NO:7; the sequence of the complement (“anti-sense”) strand is SEQ ID NO:8: SEQ ID NO:7: ctaaccaggt tgctgttctt tatcaggatg ttaactgcac agaagtccct gttgctattc atgcagatca acttactcct acttggcgtg tttattctac agg SEQ ID NO:8: cctgtagaat aaacacgcca agtaggagta agttgatctg catgaatagc aacagggact tctgtgcagt taacatcctg ataaagaaca gcaacctggt tag

[0097] Such oligonucleotides illustrate the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotides that may be amplified using the S Gene Primers of the present invention.

[0098] The nucleotide residue that is responsible for the D614G single nucleotide polymorphism of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene is underlined. SARS-CoV-2 possessing the D614G mutation (in which the adenine residue present at position 28 of SEQ ID NO:7 (position 1841 of SEQ ID NO: 16) is replaced with a guanine residue, and the thymine residue present at position 76 of SEQ ID NO:8 is replaced with a cytosine residue) has emerged as a predominant clade in Europe and is spreading worldwide and is associated with enhanced fitness and higher transmissibility (Haddad, H. et al. (2020) “Mirna Target Prediction Might Explain The Reduced Transmission Of SARS-CoV-2 In Jordan, Middle East,” Noncoding RNA Res. 5(3): 135-143; Isabel, S. et al. (2020) “Evolutionary And Structural Analyses Of SARS-Cov-2 D614G Spike Protein Mutation Now Documented Worldwide” Sci. Rep. 10( 1): 14031:1-9; Laamarti, M. et al. (2020) “Genome Sequences of Six SARS-CoV-2 Strains Isolated in Morocco, Obtained Using Oxford Nanopore MinlON Technology,” Microbiol. Resour. Announc. 9(32):e00767-20:l-4; Omotuyi, I.O. et al. (2020) “Atomistic Simulation Reveals Structural Mechanisms Underlying D614G Spike Glycoprotein-Enhanced Fitness In SARS-CoV-2,” J. Comput. Chem. 41(24):2158-2161; Ogawa, J. et al. (2020) “The D614G Mutation In The SARS-Cov2 Spike Protein Increases Infectivity In An ACE2 Receptor Dependent Manner,” Preprint. bioRxiv. 2020;2020.07.21.214932:1-10).

[0099] While it is preferred to detect the presence of the S gene using primers that consist of the sequences of SEQ ID NO:5 and SEQ ID NO:6, the invention contemplates that other primers that consist essentially of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:5 or that consist essentially of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:6 (in that they possess 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 additional nucleotide residues, but retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and more preferably retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of complement of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:5 or the nucleotide sequence of complement of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:6), or “variants” of such primers that retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and more preferably retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of complement of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:5 or the nucleotide sequence of complement of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:6, could be employed in accordance with the principles and goals of the present invention. Such “Variant S Gene Primers” may, for example: (1) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:5 or of SEQ ID NO:6, or (2) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the 10 3’ terminal nucleotides of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:5 or of SEQ ID NO:6, or (3) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the 10 5’ terminal nucleotides of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:5 or of SEQ ID NO:6, or (4) have a sequence that differs from that of SEQ ID NO:5 or of SEQ ID NO:6 in having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than 10 additional nucleotides, or (5) have a sequence that differs from that of SEQ ID NO:5 or of SEQ ID NO:6 in having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than 10 substitution nucleotides in lieu of the nucleotides present in SEQ ID NO :5 or of SEQ ID NO :6, or (6) combinations of such (1)-(5). 5 Non-limiting examples of such primers are shown in Table 5 and Table 6 (the nucleotide residue that is responsible for the D614G single nucleotide polymorphism of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene is underlined). Table 5 Illustrative Variants of the Preferred Forward S Gene Primer SEQ ID NO Sequence 43 ctaaccaggttgctgttctttatcagga 44 ctaaccaggttgctgttctttatcaggg 45 taaccaggttgctgttctttatcagga 46 taaccaggttgctgttctttatcaggg 47 aaccaggttgctgttctttatcagga 48 aaccaggttgctgttctttatcaggg 49 accaggttgctgttctttatcagga 50 accaggttgctgttctttatcaggg 51 ccaggttgctgttctttatcagga 52 ccaggttgctgttctttatcaggg 53 caggttgctgttctttatcagga 54 caggttgctgttctttatcaggg 55 aggttgctgttctttatcagga 56 aggttgctgttctttatcaggg 57 ggttgctgttctttatcagga 58 ggttgctgttctttatcaggg 59 gttgctgttctttatcagga 60 gttgctgttctttatcaggg 61 ttgctgttctttatcagga 62 ttgctgttctttatcaggg 63 tgctgttctttatcagga 64 tgctgttctttatcaggg 65 gctgttctttatcagga 66 gctgttctttatcaggg 67 ctgttctttatcagga Table 5 Illustrative Variants of the Preferred Forward S Gene Primer SEQ ID NO Sequence 68 ctgttctttatcaggg 69 tgttctttatcagga 70 tgttctttatcaggg 71 ctaaccaggttgctgttct 72 ctaaccaggttgctgttc 73 ctaaccaggttgctgtt 74 ctaaccaggttgctgt 75 ctaaccaggttgctg 76 taaccaggttgctgttctt 77 aaccaggttgctgttctt 78 accaggttgctgttctt 79 ccaggttgctgttctt 80 caggttgctgttctt 81 taaccaggttgctgttct 82 aaccaggttgctgttct 83 aaccaggttgctgttc 84 accaggttgctgttc Table 6 Illustrative Variants of the Preferred Reverse S Gene Primer SEQ ID NO Sequence 85 gcaacagggacttctgtgcagttaacat 86 gcaacagggacttctgtgcagttaacac 87 caacagggacttctgtgcagttaacat 88 caacagggacttctgtgcagttaacac 89 aacagggacttctgtgcagttaacat 90 aacagggacttctgtgcagttaacac 91 acagggacttctgtgcagttaacat 92 acagggacttctgtgcagttaacac Table 6 Illustrative Variants of the Preferred Reverse S Gene Primer SEQ ID NO Sequence 93 cagggacttctgtgcagttaacat 94 cagggacttctgtgcagttaacac 95 agggacttctgtgcagttaacat 96 agggacttctgtgcagttaacac 97 gggacttctgtgcagttaacat 98 gggacttctgtgcagttaacac 99 ggacttctgtgcagttaacat 100 ggacttctgtgcagttaacac 101 gacttctgtgcagttaacat 102 gacttctgtgcagttaacac 103 acttctgtgcagttaacat 104 acttctgtgcagttaacac 105 cttctgtgcagttaacat 106 cttctgtgcagttaacac 107 ttctgtgcagttaacat 108 ttctgtgcagttaacac 109 tctgtgcagttaacat 110 tctgtgcagttaacac 111 ctgtgcagttaacat 112 ctgtgcagttaacac 113 cctgtagaataaacacgcc 114 cctgtagaataaacacgc 115 cctgtagaataaacacg 116 cctgtagaataaacac 117 cctgtagaataaaca 118 ctgtagaataaacacgcca 119 tgtagaataaacacgcca 120 gtagaataaacacgcca 121 tagaataaacacgcca 122 agaataaacacgcca Table 6 Illustrative Variants of the Preferred Reverse S Gene Primer SEQ ID NO Sequence 123 ctgtagaataaacacgcc 124 tgtagaataaacacgcc 125 tgtagaataaacacgc 126 gtagaataaacacgc

[00100] The alignment and relative orientation of the Forward S Gene Primer (SEQ ID NO:5) and Reverse S Gene Primer (SEQ ID NO:6) of the present invention and the region of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene that these primers amplify in a rRT-PCR assay of SARS-CoV-2 are shown in Figure 3. B. Detection of SARS-CoV-2

[00101] In accordance with the present invention, the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2 in a sample, such as a clinical sample, is preferably accomplished using one or more detectably labeled oligonucleotides as probe(s). As used herein, the term “detectably labeled oligonucleotide” denotes a nucleic acid molecule that comprises at least 10 nucleotide residues and not more than 500 nucleotide residues, more preferably, not more than 200 nucleotide residues, still more preferably, not more than 100 nucleotide residues, and still more preferably, not more than 50 nucleotide residues, and that is capable of specifically hybridizing to the RNA or CDNA of SARS-CoV-2. As used herein, the term “specifically hybridizing” denotes the capability of a nucleic acid molecule to detectably anneal to another nucleic acid molecule under conditions in which such nucleic acid molecule does not detectably anneal to a non-complementary nucleic acid molecule. The probes of the present invention permit the detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific polynucleotides, and thus permit a diagnosis of COVID-19. Additionally, the variant probes of the present invention permit the detection of polymorphisms (such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), e.g., the SNPs that cause the D614G, V515F, V622I, P631S polymorphisms in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene), that may be present in the SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotides of a clinical sample. SNPs may be advantageously detected using two probes having distinguishable labels.

[00102] Detection can be accomplished using any suitable method, e.g., molecular beacon probes, HyBeacon® probes, scorpion primer-probes, TaqMan probes, biotinylated oligoprobes in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based format, turbidity, radioisotopic-labeled oligoprobes, chemiluminescent detectors, amplification of the probe sequences using Q beta replicase, PNA-based detectors, LAMP, etc. (Bustin, S.A. et al. (2020) “RT-qPCR Testing of SARS-CoV-2: A Primer,” Inti. J. Molec. Sci. 21:3004:1-9; Chang, G.-J.J. etal. (1994) ‘An Integrated Target Sequence and Signal Amplification Assay, Reverse Transcriptase-PCR-Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, To Detect and Characterize Flaviviruses,” J. Clin. Microbiol. 32(2):477-483; Navarro, E. et al. (2015) ‘‘Real-Time PCR Detection Chemistry,” Clin. Chim. Acta 439:231-250; Persing, D.H. et al. (1989) ‘‘In Vitro Amplification Techniques For The Detection Of Nucleic Acids: New Tools For The Diagnostic Laboratory,” Yale J. Biol. Med. 62(2): 159-171; Schwab, K.J. et al. (2001) ‘‘Development Of A Reverse Transcription-PCR-DNA Enzyme Immunoassay For Detection Of "Norwalk-Like" Viruses And Hepatitis A Virus In Stool And Shellfish. Applied And Environmental Microbiology,” 67(2):742-749; Yuan, X. et al. (2019) ‘‘LAMP RealTime Turbidity Detection For Fowl Adenovirus,” BMC Vet. Res. 15: 256:1-4; French, D.J. et al. (2001) ‘‘HyBeacon Probes: A New Tool For DNA Sequence Detection And Allele Discrimination,” Mol. Cell. Probes 15(6):363-374; French, D.J. etal. (2006) ‘‘HyBeacons®: A Novel DNA Probe Chemistry For Rapid Genetic Analysis,” Inti. Cong. Series 1288:707709; French, D.J. et al. (2008) ‘‘HyBeacon Probes For Rapid DNA Sequence Detection And Allele Discrimination,” Methods Mol. Biol. 429:171-85; Notomi, T. et al. (2000) ‘‘Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Of DNA,” Nucl. Acids Res. 28(12):E63:l-7; Zhang, H. et al. (2019) ‘‘LAMP-On-A-Chip: Revising Microfluidic Platforms For Loop-Mediated DNA Amplification,” Trends Analyt. Chern. 113:44-53; Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd. (2020) ‘‘Eiken Chemical Launches the Loopamp 2019 nCoV Detection Kit,” Press Release; pages 1-2; Zhang, H. et al. (2019) “LAMP-On-A-Chip: Revising Microfluidic Platforms For Loop-Mediated DNA Amplification,” Trends Analyt. Chern. 113:44-53; Yuan, X. et al. (2019) ‘‘LAMP Real-Time Turbidity Detection For Fowl Adenovirus,” BMC Vet. Res. 15: 256:1-4; US Patent Nos. 6,974,670; 7,175,985; 7,348,141; 7,399,588; 7,494,790; 7,998,673; and 9,909,168).

[00103] Preferably, the detection of the amplified SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotides of the present invention employs an oligonucleotide that is labeled with a fluorophore and complexed to a quencher of the fluorescence of that fluorophore (Navarro, E. el al. (2015) “Real-Time PCR Detection Chemistry” Clin. Chim. Acta 439:231-250).

[00104] A wide variety of fluorophores and quenchers are known and are commercially available (e.g., Biosearch Technologies, Gene Link), and may be used in accordance with the methods of the present invention. Preferred fluorophores include the fluorophores Biosearch Blue, Alexa488, FAM, Oregon Green, Rhodamine Green-X, NBD-X, TET, Alexa430, BODIPY R6G-X, CAL Fluor Gold 540, JOE, Yakima Yellow, Alexa 532, VIC, HEX, and CAL Fluor Orange 560 (which have an excitation wavelength in the range of about 352-538 nm and an emission wavelength in the range of about 447-559 nm, and whose fluorescence can be quenched with the quencher BHQ1), or the fluorophores RBG, Alexa555, BODIPY 564 / 570, BODIPY TMR-X, Quasar 570, Cy3, Alexa 546, NED, TAMRA, Rhodamine Red-X, BODIPY 581 / 591, Redmond Red, CAL Fluor Red 590, Cy3.5, ROX, Alexa 568, CAL Fluor Red 610, BODIPY TR-X, Texas Red, CAL Fluor Red 635, Pulsar 650, Cy5, Quasar 670, CY5.5, Alexa 594, BODIPY 630 / 650-X, or Quasar 705 (which have an excitation wavelength in the range of about 524-690 nm and an emission wavelength in the range of about 557-705 nm, and whose fluorescence can be quenched with the quencher BHQ2). The preferred SARS-CoV-2-specific probes of the present invention are labeled with either the fluorophore 2',7'-dimethoxy-4',5'-dichloro-6-carboxyfluorescein (“JOE”) or the fluorophore 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (“FAM”) on their 5’ termini. JOE is a xanthene fluorophore with an emission in yellow range (absorption wavelength of 520 nm; emission wavelength of 548 nm). FAM is a carboxyfluorescein molecule with an absorption wavelength of 495 nm and an emission wavelength of 517 nm; it is typically provided as a mixture of two isomers (5-FAM and 6-FAM). Quasar 670 is similar to cyanine dyes, and has an absorption wavelength of 647 nm and an emission wavelength of 670 nm.

[00105] The black hole quencher 1 (“BHQ1”) is a preferred quencher for FAM and JOE fluorophores. BHQ1 quenches fluorescent signals of 480-580 nm and has an absorption maximum at 534 nm.

[00106] The black hole quencher 2 (“BHQ2”) is a preferred quencher for Quasar 670. BHQ2 quenches fluorescent signals of 560-670 nm and has an absorption maximum at 579 nm.

[00107] JOE, FAM, Quasar 670, BHQ1 and BHQ2 are widely available commercially (e.g., Sigma Aldrich; Biosearch Technologies, etc.) and are coupled to oligonucleotides using methods that are well known (see, e.g., Zearfoss, N.R. et al. (2012) “End-Labeling Oligonucleotides with Chemical Tags After Synthesis,” Meth. Mol. Biol. 941:181-193). Oligonucleotide probes of any desired sequence labeled may be obtained commercially (e.g., ThermoFisher Scientific) already labeled with a desired fluorophore and complexed to a desired quencher.

[00108] As discussed above, the proximity of the quencher of a probe to the fluorophore of that probe results in a quenching of the fluorescent signal. Incubation of the probe in the presence of a double-strand-dependent 5'—>3' exonuclease (such as the 5'—>3' exonuclease activity of Taq polymerase) cleaves the probe when it has hybridized to a complementary target sequence, thus separating the fluorophore from the quencher and permitting the production of a detectable fluorescent signal.

[00109] In a preferred embodiment, such oligonucleotides are modified to be TaqMan probes by being detectably complexed to a fluorophore and a quencher, with the fluorophore being preferably complexed to a nucleotide residue within 5 nucleotides, within 4 nucleotides, within 3 nucleotides, or within 2 nucleotides of the 5’ terminus of the probe, and the quencher being preferably complexed to a nucleotide residue within 5 nucleotides, within 4 nucleotides, within 3 nucleotides, or within 2 nucleotides of the 3’ terminus of the probe. In one embodiment, the fluorophore is complexed to the 5’ terminal nucleotide residue of the probe and the quencher is complexed to the 3’ terminal nucleotide of the probe. Labeling for molecular beacon and scorpion primer-probes is similar, but the positions of the fluorophore and quencher are modified in order to account for the presence of stem oligonucleotides and / or a PCR primer oligonucleotide. 1. Preferred Probes for Detecting SARS-CoV-2 (a) Preferred Probes for Detecting SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab

[00110] The preferred probe for detecting the region of ORFlab that is amplified by the above-described preferred ORFlab Primers (SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:2) comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, the nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:9) tgcccgtaatggtgttcttattacaga (the preferred “ORFlab Probe”). Alternatively, an oligonucleotide that comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, the complementary nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO:10) tctgtaataagaacaccattacgggca could be employed. The alignment and relative position of the preferred ORFlab Probe of the present invention is shown in Figure 2.

[00111] While the preferred rRT-PCR assays of the present invention detect the presence of the ORFlab using a probe that consists of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or a probe that consists of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 10, the invention contemplates that other probes that comprise an oligonucleotide domain that consists essentially of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or SEQ ID NO:10 (in that they possess 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 additional nucleotide residues, but retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and more that preferably retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or SEQ ID NO:10), or “variants” of such probes that comprise an oligonucleotide domain that exhibits the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and more that preferably exhibits the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or SEQ ID NO:10 could be employed in accordance with the principles and goals of the present invention. Such “Variant ORFlab Probes” may, for example: (1) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 nucleotides of SEQ ID NO:9 or of SEQ ID NO:10, or (2) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the 10 3’ terminal nucleotides of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or of SEQ ID NO: 10, or (3) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the 10 5’ terminal nucleotides of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or of SEQ ID NO: 10, or (4) have a sequence that differs from that of SEQ ID NO:9 or of SEQ ID NO:10 in having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than 10 additional nucleotides, or 5   (5) have a sequence that differs from that of SEQ ID NO:9 or of SEQ ID NO:10 in having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than 10 substitution nucleotides in lieu of the nucleotides present in SEQ ID NO:9 or of SEQ ID NO: 10, or (6) combinations of such (1)-(5). Non-limiting examples of such probes are shown in Table 7 and Table 8. Table 7 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Sense-Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab SEQ ID NO Sequence 127 tgcccgtaatggtgttcttattacag 128 tgcccgtaatggtgttcttattaca 129 tgcccgtaatggtgttcttattac 130 tgcccgtaatggtgttcttatta 131 tgcccgtaatggtgttcttatt 132 tgcccgtaatggtgttcttat 133 tgcccgtaatggtgttctta 134 gcccgtaatggtgttcttattacaga 135 cccgtaatggtgttcttattacaga 136 ccgtaatggtgttcttattacaga 137 cgtaatggtgttcttattacaga 138 gtaatggtgttcttattacaga 139 taatggtgttcttattacaga 140 aatggtgttcttattacaga 141 ttcttattacagaaggtagt 142 gcccgtaatggtgttcttattaca 143 gcccgtaatggtgttcttattac 144 cccgtaatggtgttcttattac 145 cccgtaatggtgttcttatta 146 ccgtaatggtgttcttatta 10 Table 8 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Antisense-Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab SEQ ID NO Sequence 147 tctgtaataagaacaccattacgggc 148 tctgtaataagaacaccattacggg 149 tctgtaataagaacaccattacgg 150 tctgtaataagaacaccattacg 151 tctgtaataagaacaccattac 152 tctgtaataagaacaccatta 153 tctgtaataagaacaccatt 154 ctgtaataagaacaccattacgggca 155 tgtaataagaacaccattacgggca 156 gtaataagaacaccattacgggca 157 taataagaacaccattacgggca 158 aataagaacaccattacgggca 159 ataagaacaccattacgggca 160 taagaacaccattacgggca 161 ctgtaataagaacaccattacgggc 162 tgtaataagaacaccattacgggc 163 gtaataagaacaccattacgggc 164 gtaataagaacaccattacggg 165 taataagaacaccattacggg 166 taataagaacaccattacgg (b) Preferred Probes for Detecting SARS-CoV-2 S Gene

[00112] The preferred probe for detecting the region of the S gene that is amplified by the 5 above-described preferred S Gene Primers (SEQ ID NO:5 and SEQ ID NO:6) comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, the sequence (SEQ ID NO: 11) tgcacagaagtccctgttgct (the preferred “S Gene Probe”). Alternatively, an oligonucleotide that comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of, the complementary nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO: 12) agcaacagggacttctgtgca could be employed. The alignment and relative position of the S 10 Gene Probe of the present invention is shown in Figure 3.

[00113] While the preferred rRT-PCR assays of the present invention detect the presence of the S gene using a probe that consists of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:11 or a probe that consists of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12, the invention contemplates that other probes that comprise an oligonucleotide domain that consists essentially of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:11 or SEQ ID NO:12 (in that they possess 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 additional nucleotide residues, but retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and that more preferably retain the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:11 or SEQ ID NO:12), or “variants” of such probes that comprise an oligonucleotide domain that exhibits the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and more that preferably exhibits the ability to specifically hybridize to DNA molecules having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 or SEQ ID NO: 12 could be employed in accordance with the principles and goals of the present invention. Such “Variant S Gene Probes” may, for example: (1) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8, 9, or 10 nucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 11 or of SEQ ID NO: 12, or (2) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the 10 3’ terminal nucleotides of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 or of SEQ ID NO: 12, or (3) lack 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 of the 10 5’ terminal nucleotides of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 or of SEQ ID NO: 12, or (4) have a sequence that differs from that of SEQ ID NO:11 or of SEQ ID NO:12 in having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than 10 additional nucleotides, or (5) have a sequence that differs from that of SEQ ID NO:11 or of SEQ ID NO:12 in having 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more than 10 substitution nucleotides in lieu of the nucleotides present in SEQ ID NO: 11 or of SEQ ID NO: 12, or (6) combinations of such (1)-(5). Non-limiting examples of such probes are shown in Table 9 and Table 10 (the nucleotide residue that is responsible for the D614G single nucleotide polymorphism of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene is underlined). Table 9 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Sense Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 11 tgcacagaagtccctgttgct 167 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 168 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 169 tgttctttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 170 tgttctttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 171 gttctttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 172 gttctttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 173 ttctttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 174 ttctttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 175 tctttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 176 tctttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 177 ctttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 178 ctttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 179 tttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 180 tttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 181 ttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 182 ttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 183 tatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 184 tatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 185 atcaggatgttaactgcacaga 186 atcagggtgttaactgcacaga 187 tcaggatgttaactgcacaga 188 tcagggtgttaactgcacaga 189 caggatgttaactgcacaga 190 cagggtgttaactgcacaga 191 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaactgcacag 192 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaactgcacag Table 9 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Sense Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 11 tgcacagaagtccctgttgct 193 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaactgcaca 194 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaactgcaca 195 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaactgcac 196 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaactgcac 197 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaactgca 198 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaactgca 199 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaactgc 200 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaactgc 201 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaactg 202 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaactg 203 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaact 204 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaact 205 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaac 206 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaac 207 ctgttctttatcaggatgttaa 208 ctgttctttatcagggtgttaa 209 ctgttctttatcaggatgtta 210 ctgttctttatcagggtgtta 211 ctgttctttatcaggatgtt 212 ctgttctttatcagggtgtt 213 tgttctttatcaggatgttaactgcacaga 214 tgttctttatcagggtgttaactgcacaga 215 tgttctttatcaggatgttaactgcacag 216 tgttctttatcagggtgttaactgcacag 217 gttctttatcaggatgttaactgcacag 218 gttctttatcagggtgttaactgcacag 219 gttctttatcaggatgttaactgcaca 220 gttctttatcagggtgttaactgcaca 221 ttctttatcaggatgttaactgcaca 222 ttctttatcagggtgttaactgcaca Table 9 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Sense Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 11 tgcacagaagtccctgttgct 223 ttctttatcaggatgttaactgcac 224 ttctttatcagggtgttaactgcac 225 tctttatcaggatgttaactgcac 226 tctttatcagggtgttaactgcac 227 tctttatcaggatgttaactgca 228 tctttatcagggtgttaactgca 229 ctttatcaggatgttaactgca 230 ctttatcagggtgttaactgca 231 ctttatcaggatgttaactgc 232 ctttatcagggtgttaactgc 233 tttatcaggatgttaactgc 234 tttatcagggtgttaactgc 235 tttatcaggatgttaactg 236 tttatcagggtgttaactg 237 ttatcaggatgttaactg 238 ttatcagggtgttaactg 239 tatcaggatgttaactg 240 tatcagggtgttaactg 241 tatcaggatgttaact 242 tatcagggtgttaact 243 atcaggatgttaact 244 atcagggtgttaact 245 tcaggatgttaact 246 tcagggtgttaact 247 tcaggatgttaac 248 tcagggtgttaac 249 tcaggatgttaa 250 tcagggtgttaa 251 tcaggatgtta 252 tcagggtgtta Table 9 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Sense Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 11 tgcacagaagtccctgttgct 253 gcacagaagtccctgttgct 254 cacagaagtccctgttgct 255 acagaagtccctgttgct 256 cagaagtccctgttgct 257 cagaagtccctgttgctatt 258 agaagtccctgttgct 259 gaagtccctgttgct 260 tgcacagaagtccctgttgc 261 tgcacagaagtccctgttg 262 tgcacagaagtccctgtt 263 tgcacagaagtccctgt 264 tgcacagaagtccctg 265 tgcacagaagtccct 266 gcacagaagtccctgttgc 267 cacagaagtccctgttgc 268 cacagaagtccctgttg 269 acagaagtccctgttgc 270 acagaagtccctgttg 271 cagaagtccctgttgc 272 cagaagtccctgttg Table 10 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Antisense-Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 12 agcaacagggacttctgtgca 273 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 274 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 275 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaacag Table 10 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Antisense-Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 12 agcaacagggacttctgtgca 276 ctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 277 ctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaacag 278 tgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 279 tgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaacag 280 gtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 281 gtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaacag 282 tgcagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 283 tgcagttaacaccctgataaagaacag 284 gcagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 285 gcagttaacaccctgataaagaacag 286 cagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 287 cagttaacaccctgataaagaacag 288 agttaacatcctgataaagaacag 289 agttaacaccctgataaagaacag 290 gttaacatcctgataaagaacag 291 gttaacaccctgataaagaacag 292 ttaacatcctgataaagaacag 293 ttaacaccctgataaagaacag 294 taacatcctgataaagaacag 295 taacaccctgataaagaacag 296 aacatcctgataaagaacag 297 aacaccctgataaagaacag 298 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaaca 299 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaaca 300 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaac 301 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaac 302 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaa 303 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaa 304 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaaga 305 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaaga Table 10 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Antisense-Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 12 agcaacagggacttctgtgca 306 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaag 307 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaag 308 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaa 309 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaa 310 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgataa 311 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgataa 312 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgata 313 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgata 314 tctgtgcagttaacatcctgat 315 tctgtgcagttaacaccctgat 316 tctgtgcagttaacatcctga 317 tctgtgcagttaacaccctga 318 tctgtgcagttaacatcctg 319 tctgtgcagttaacaccctg 320 ctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaacag 321 ctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaacag 322 ctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaaca 323 ctgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaaca 324 tgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaaca 325 tgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaaca 326 tgtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaac 327 tgtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaac 328 gtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaac 329 gtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaac 330 gtgcagttaacatcctgataaagaa 331 gtgcagttaacaccctgataaagaa 332 tgcagttaacatcctgataaagaa 333 tgcagttaacaccctgataaagaa 334 tgcagttaacatcctgataaaga 335 tgcagttaacaccctgataaaga Table 10 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Antisense-Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 12 agcaacagggacttctgtgca 336 gcagttaacatcctgataaaga 337 gcagttaacaccctgataaaga 338 cagttaacatcctgataaaga 339 cagttaacaccctgataaaga 340 agttaacatcctgataaaga 341 agttaacaccctgataaaga 342 agttaacatcctgataaag 343 agttaacaccctgataaag 344 gttaacatcctgataaag 345 gttaacaccctgataaag 346 gttaacatcctgataaa 347 gttaacaccctgataaa 348 ttaacatcctgataaa 349 ttaacaccctgataaa 350 ttaacatcctgataa 351 ttaacaccctgataa 352 taacatcctgataa 353 taacaccctgataa 354 taacatcctgata 355 taacaccctgata 356 taacatcctgat 357 taacaccctgat 358 taacatcctg 359 taacaccctg 360 aacatcctgat 361 aacaccctgat 362 aacatcctga 363 aacaccctga 364 gcaacagggacttctgtgca 365 caacagggacttctgtgca Table 10 Illustrative SARS-CoV-2 Oligonucleotide Domains of Antisense-Strand Probes for Detecting the Presence of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene SEQ ID NO Sequence 12 agcaacagggacttctgtgca 366 aacagggacttctgtgca 367 acagggacttctgtgca 368 cagggacttctgtgca 369 agggacttctgtgca 370 agcaacagggacttctgtgc 371 agcaacagggacttctgtg 372 agcaacagggacttctgt 373 agcaacagggacttctg 374 agcaacagggacttct 375 agcaacagggacttc 376 gcaacagggacttctgtgca 377 gcaacagggacttctgtgc 378 caacagggacttctgtgc 379 caacagggacttctgtg 380 aacagggacttctgtg 381 aacagggacttctgt 2. Preferred Types of Probes (a) TaqMan Probes

[00114] In a preferred embodiment, TaqMan probes are employed to detect amplified 5 SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotides in accordance with the present invention. As described above, such probes are labeled on their 5’ termini with a fluorophore, and are complexed on their 3’ termini with a quencher of the fluorescence of that fluorophore. In order to simultaneously detect the amplification of two polynucleotide domains of SARS-CoV-2, two TaqMan probes are employed that have different fluorophores (with differing and 10 distinguishable emission wavelengths); the employed quenchers may be the same or different. The chemistry and design of “TaqMan” probes is reviewed by Holland, P.M. et al. (1991) (“Detection Of Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction Product By Utilizing The 5'^3'Exonuclease Activity Of Thermus Aquaticus DNA Polymerase,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (U.S.A.) 88(16):7276-7280), by Navarro, E. et al. (2015) (“Real-Time PCR Detection Chemistry,” Clin. Chim. Acta 439:231-250), and by Gasparic, B.M. et al. (2010) I”Comparison Of Nine Different Real-Time PCR Chemistries For Qualitative And Quantitative Applications In GMO Detection,” Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 396(6):2023-2029).

[00115] Suitable fluorophores and quenchers are as described above. In one embodiment of the invention, the 5’ terminus of the ORFlab Probe is labeled with the fluorophore JOE, and the 3’ terminus of such probe is complexed to the quencher BHQ1 and the 5’ terminus of the S Gene Probe is labeled with the fluorophore FAM, and the 3’ terminus of such probe is complexed to the quencher BHQ1. In an alternative embodiment, the 5’ terminus of the ORFlab Probe is labeled with the fluorophore FAM, and the 5’ terminus of the S Gene Probe is labeled with the fluorophore JOE. The use of such two fluorophores permits both probes to be used in the same assay.

[00116] Any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described ORFlab probes may be employed to form TaqMan probes suitable for detecting the region of ORFlab that is amplified by the above-described preferred ORFlab Primers (e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, any of SEQ ID NOs:17-28, any of SEQ ID NOs:29-42, any of SEQ ID NOs:398-399, any of SEQ ID N0s:403-406, and their respective variants).

[00117] Illustrative TaqMan ORFlab probes may thus comprise any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described ORFlab probes (e.g., SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, etc.)). As discussed above, the 5’ terminus of the TaqMan ORFlab probe is labeled with a fluorophore, and the 3’ terminus of the probe is complexed to a quencher.

[00118] Similarly, any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described S gene probes may be employed to form TaqMan probes suitable for detecting the region of the S gene that is amplified by the above-described preferred S Gene Primers (e.g., SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:6, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:71-84, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs: 113-126, or any of SEQ ID N0s:400-402, or any of SEQ ID N0s:407-410, and their respective variants).

[00119] Illustrative TaqMan S Gene probes may comprise any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described S gene probes (e.g., SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO: 12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, etc.)). As discussed above, the 5’ terminus of the TaqMan S Gene probe is labeled with a fluorophore, and the 3’ terminus of the probe is complexed to a quencher. (b) Molecular Beacon Probes

[00120] Molecular beacon probes can alternatively be employed to detect amplified SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotides in accordance with the present invention. Molecular beacon probes are also labeled with a fluorophore and complexed to a quencher. However, in such probes, the quenching of the fluorescence of the fluorophore only occurs when the quencher is directly adjacent to the fluorophore. Molecular beacon probes are thus designed to adopt a hairpin structure while free in solution (thus bringing the fluorescent dye and quencher into close proximity with one another). When a molecular beacon probe hybridizes to a target, the fluorophore is separated from the quencher, and the fluorescence of the fluorophore becomes detectable. Unlike TaqMan probes, molecular beacon probes are designed to remain intact during the amplification reaction, and must re-anneal to the target nucleic acid molecule in every cycle for signal measurement. The chemistry and design of molecular beacon probes is reviewed by Han, S.X. et al. (2013) (“Molecular Beacons: A Novel Optical Diagnostic Tool” Arch. Immunol. Ther. Exp. (Warsz). 61(2):139-148), by Navarro, E. et al. (2015) (“Real-Time PCR Detection Chemistry,” Clin. Chim. Acta 439:231-250), by Goel, G. et al. (2005) (“Molecular Beacon: A Multitask Probe,” J. Appl. Microbiol. 99(3):435-442), by Kitamura, Y. et al. (2020) (“Electrochemical Molecular Beacon for Nucleic Acid Sensing in a Homogeneous Solution,” Analyt. Sci. 36:959-964), and by Zheng, J. et al. (2015) (“Rationally Designed Molecular Beacons For Bioanalytical And Biomedical Applications,” Chern. Soc. Rev. 44(10):3036-3055). The use of molecular beacon probes to detect polymorphisms is reviewed by Peng, Q. et al. (2020) (“A Molecular-Beacon-Based Asymmetric PCR Assay For Detecting Polymorphisms Related To Folate Metabolism,” J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 34:e23337:l-7).

[00121] Additional nucleotides and / or linkers (e.g., oligo ethylene glycol linkers) may be interposed between the stem oligonucleotides and the loop oligonucleotide of the hairpin structure in order to provide improve the detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (Farzan, V.M. et al. (2017) “Specificity Of SNP Detection With Molecular Beacons Is Improved By Stem And Loop Separation With Spacers,” Analyst 142:945-950). “Dumbbell” molecular beacon probes may be used to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms using a single label (Bengston, H.N. et al. (2014) “A Differential Fluorescent Receptor for Nucleic Acid Analysis,” Chembiochem. 15(2):228-231).

[00122] The design of molecular beacon probes can be assisted using software, such as Beacon Designer (Premier Biosoft) (Thorton, B. et al. (2011) “Real-Time PCR (qPCR) Primer Design Using Free Online Software,” Biochem. Molec. Biol. Educat. 39(2): 145154). However, common considerations are typically sufficient for acceptable results (Kolpashchikov, D.M. (2012) “An Elegant Biosensor Molecular Beacon Probe: Challenges And Recent Solutions,” Scientifica (Cairo). 2012:928783:1-17). Overall, to favor the formation of the probe-target complex, the melting temperature of the loop domain should be higher than that of the stem. The loop is typically 15-20 nucleotides long and fully complementary to the analyte. The stem should be C / G rich and contain 4-7 base pairs to ensure high stability and acceptable hybridization rates. Longer and more stable stems will reduce hybridization rates but may improve assay selectivity (Tsourkas, A. et al. (2003) “Hybridization Kinetics And Thermodynamics Of Molecular Beacons,” Nucleic Acids Research 31(4):1319-1330). The melting temperature of the stem should be at least 7°C higher than the assay temperature to ensure efficient fluorescent quenching in the free MB probe. If the assay is SNP specific, the interrogated position should be complementary to a nucleotide close to the middle position of the loop sequence for better allele differentiation (Kolpashchikov, D.M. (2012) “An Elegant Biosensor Molecular Beacon Probe: Challenges And Recent Solutions,” Scientifica (Cairo). 2012:928783:1-17; Finetti-Sialer, M.M. et al. (2005) “Isolate-Specific Detection of Grapevine fanleaf virus from Xiphinema index Through DNA-Based Molecular Probes,” Phytopathology 95(3):262-268).

[00123] Such probes thus comprise two small (e.g., 5-7 nucleotide long) complementary oligonucleotides positioned so as to flank the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide and cause the probe to adopt a stem and loop-containing hairpin structure that positions a quencher adjacent to a fluorophore unless the probe’s secondary structure is disrupted by hybridization to an oligonucleotide sequence that is complementary to the probe’s loop sequence. The 5’ terminal potion of the complementary oligonucleotide that is positioned 5’ to the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide is preferably labeled with a fluorophore, and the 3’ terminal domain of the complementary oligonucleotide that is positioned 3’ to the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide is preferably complexed to a quencher of such fluorophore. Although it is preferred that such fluorophore be complexed to the 5’ terminal residue of the complementary oligonucleotide that is positioned 5’ to the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide, it may be complexed within 5 nucleotides, within 4 nucleotides, within 3 nucleotides, or within 2 nucleotides of such 5’ terminal residue. Similarly, although it is preferred that such quencher be complexed to the 3’ terminal residue of the complementary oligonucleotide that is positioned 3’ to the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide, it may be complexed within 5 nucleotides, within 4 nucleotides, within 3 nucleotides, or within 2 nucleotides of such 3’ terminal residue.

[00124] Examples of complementary oligonucleotides that may be added to the 3’ or 5’ termini of a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide to form a molecular beacon probe include cggcgcc (SEQ ID NO:382) and its complement gcgccgg (SEQ ID NO:383); cggcgc (SEQ ID NO:384) and its complement gcgccg (SEQ ID NO:385); ccccccc (SEQ ID NO:386) and its complement ggggggg (SEQ ID NO:387); cccccc (SEQ ID NO:388) and its complement gggggg (SEQ ID NO:389); ccccc (SEQ ID NO:390) and its complement ggggg (SEQ ID NO:391); cgacc (SEQ ID NO:392) and its complement ggtcg (SEQ ID NO:393); ggcgc (SEQ ID NO:394) and its complement gcgcc (SEQ ID NO:395); gcgag (SEQ ID NO:396) and its complement ctcgc (SEQ ID NO:397).

[00125] Any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described ORFlab probes may be employed as the loop domain of a molecular beacon probe suitable for detecting the region of ORFlab that is amplified by the above-described preferred ORFlab Primers {e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, any of SEQ ID NOs:17-28, any of SEQ ID NOs:29-42, any of SEQ ID NOs:398-399, any of SEQ ID N0s:403-406, and their respective variants). Additional molecular beacon probes for the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab 2021246903  28 Oct 2022 having shorter or longer loop regions can be readily constructed, for example by reducing or increasing the size of employed SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab loop oligonucleotide, as desired.

[00126] Illustrative ORF1ab molecular beacon probes may comprise, from 5’ to 3’, a 5’ 5 stem oligonucleotide (e.g., any of SEQ ID NOs:382-397, etc.), an ORF1ab oligonucleotide (e.g., any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described ORF1ab probes (e.g., SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, etc.)), which forms the loop domain of the molecular beacon probe, and a 3’ stem oligonucleotide whose sequence is complementary to that of the probe’s 5’ stem 10 oligonucleotide. As discussed above, the 5’ terminus of the ORF1ab molecular beacon probe is labeled with a fluorophore, and the 3’ terminus of the ORF1ab molecular beacon probe is complexed to a quencher. Additional molecular beacon probes for the SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab having shorter or longer loop regions can be readily constructed, for example by reducing or increasing the size of employed SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab loop oligonucleotide, as 15 desired.

[00127] Similarly, any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described S gene probes may be employed as the loop domain of a molecular beacon probe suitable for detecting the region of the S gene that is amplified by the above-described preferred S 20 Gene Primers (e.g., SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:6, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:71-84, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs:113-126, or any of SEQ ID NOs:400-402, or any of SEQ ID NOs:407-410, and their respective variants). Additional molecular beacon probes for the SARS-CoV-2 S gene having shorter or longer loop regions can be readily constructed, for example by reducing or increasing the size of 25 employed SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab loop oligonucleotide, as desired.

[00128] Illustrative S Gene molecular beacon probes may comprise, from 5’ to 3’, a 5’ stem oligonucleotide (e.g., any of SEQ ID NOs:382-397, etc.), an S Gene oligonucleotide (e.g., any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described S gene probes 30   (e.g., SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, etc.)) which forms the loop domain of the molecular beacon probe, and a 3’ stem oligonucleotide whose sequence is complementary to that of the probe’s 5’ stem oligonucleotide. As discussed above, the 5’ terminus of the S Gene molecular beacon probe is labeled with a fluorophore, and the 3’ terminus of the ORFlab molecular beacon probe is complexed to a quencher. Additional molecular beacon probes for the SARS-CoV-2 S gene having shorter or longer loop regions can be readily constructed, for example by reducing or increasing the size of employed SARS-CoV-2 S gene loop oligonucleotide, as desired. Suitable fluorophores and quenchers are as described above. (c) Scorpion Primer-Probes

[00129] Scorpion primer-probes (Whitcombe, D. et al. (1999) “Detection OfPCR Products Using Self-Probing Amplicons And Fluorescence,” Nat. Biotechnol. 17(8):804-807; Thelwell, N. et al. (2000) “Mode Of Action And Application Of Scorpion Primers To Mutation Detection,” Nucleic Acids Res. 28(19):3752-3761; Finetti-Sialer, M.M. et al. (2005) “Isolate-Specific Detection of Grapevine fanleaf virus from Xiphinema index Through DNA-Based Molecular Probes,” Phytopathology 95(3):262-268; Solinas, A. et al. (2001) “Duplex Scorpion Primers In SNP Analysis And FRET Applications,” Nucl. Acids Res. 29(20):E96:l-9) can alternatively be employed to detect amplified SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotides in accordance with the present invention. Scorpion primer-probes comprise 3’ and 5’ complementary oligonucleotides that are separated by an intervening loop oligonucleotide so as to adopt a stem and loop hairpin structure while free in solution. The 5’ terminus of the 5’ stem oligonucleotide is labeled with a fluorophore. The 3’ terminus of the 3’ stem oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher, so that upon formation of a hairpin structure with the 5’ stem oligonucleotide, fluorescence is quenched. Scorpion primer-probes differ from molecular beacon probes in that the 3' terminus of the 3’ stem oligonucleotide is additionally complexed to a blocker of polymerase-mediated primer extension (e.g., a hexaethylene glycol (HEG) blocker (Ma, M.Y.X. et al. (1993) “Design And Synthesis Of RNA Miniduplexes Via A Synthetic Linker Approach,” Biochemistry 32(7): 1751-1758; Ma, M.Y.X. et al. (1993) “Design And Synthesis Of RNA Miniduplexes Via A Synthetic Linker Approach. 2. Generation Of Covalently Closed, Double-Stranded Cyclic HIV-1 TAR RNA Analogs With High Tat-Binding Affinity,” Nucleic Acids Res. 21(11):2585-2589)), and additionally comprises a 3’ PCR primer oligonucleotide that is complementary to a sequence of a target oligonucleotide. Thus, scorpion primer-probes have the overall structure (5’ to 3’): [fluorophore] - [5’ stem oligonucleotide] - [loop oligonucleotide] - [complementary 3’ stem oligonucleotide] - [quencher] - [blocker] - PCR primer oligonucleotide.

[00130] Upon hybridizing to a target oligonucleotide, the 3’ terminus of the PCR primer oligonucleotide is extended; however, the presence of the blocker prevents the polymerase-mediated extension of the 3’ terminus of the target hybridized target oligonucleotide. The sequences of the PCR primer oligonucleotide and the loop oligonucleotide are selected such that the sequence of the loop oligonucleotide is the same as a sequence of the target molecule approximately 11 bases or less downstream from the base of the target molecule that is hybridized to the 3’ terminus of the PCR primer oligonucleotide. Thus, extension of the PCR primer forms a oligonucleotide domain of the scorpion primer-probe that is complementary to the sequence of the loop oligonucleotide. In the next denaturation step of the PCR process, the loop sequence of the scorpion primer-probe hybridizes to the extended PCR product, thus opening the probe’s hairpin structure. This separates the scorpion primerprobe’s fluorophore from its quencher and permits fluorescence to be detected.

[00131] Any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described ORFlab probes may be employed as the loop domain of a scorpion primer-probe suitable for detecting the region of ORFlab that is amplified by the above-described preferred ORFlab Primers (e.g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, any of SEQ ID NOs:17-28, any of SEQ ID NOs:29-42, any of SEQ ID NOs:398-399, any of SEQ ID N0s:403-406, and their respective variants). As discussed above, such probes are similar to molecular beacon probes, but comprise a blocker moiety, typically positioned 3’ to the probe’s quencher moiety, and a 3’ PCR primer oligonucleotide.

[00132] Illustrative ORFlab scorpion primer-probes would comprise, from 5’ to 3’, a 5’ stem oligonucleotide (e.g., any of SEQ ID NOs:382-398, etc.), an ORFlab oligonucleotide (e.g., any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described ORFlab probes (e g., SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166, etc.), a 3’ stem oligonucleotide whose sequence is complementary to that of the probe’s 5’ stem oligonucleotide, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide domain whose sequence is selected so that it is capable of hybridizing to a region of ORFlab that is approximately 7 bases, 8 bases, 9 bases, 10 bases, or more preferably 11 bases upstream of an ORFlab sequence that is the same as the sequence of the probe’s ORFlab oligonucleotide domain (or differs from such sequence by 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 nucleotide residues), such that extension of the PCR primer oligonucleotide domain forms an extension product whose sequence is complementary to the probe’s ORFlab oligonucleotide domain.

[00133] To illustrate the structure of such ORFlab scorpion primer-probes, the nucleotide sequences of an ORFlab scorpion primer-probe whose loop polypeptide domain has the sequence of the preferred ORFlab Probe tgcccgtaatggtgttcttattacaga (SEQ ID NO:9) could have the sequence, from 5’ to 3’, of a 5’ stem oligonucleotide (e.g., any of SEQ ID NOs:382-397, etc.), the preferred ORFlab Probe (SEQ ID NO:9), a 3’ stem oligonucleotide whose sequence is complementary to that of the probe’s 5’ stem oligonucleotide, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide having the sequence gagttgatggtcaagtagac (SEQ ID NO:398, corresponding to residues 12-26 of SEQ ID NO:3). After extension of the primer by 38 bases, the primer extension product contains a domain complementary to the sequence of the preferred ORFlab Probe. Denaturation occurring in a subsequent step of the PCR process denatures the hybridized, complementary stem oligonucleotides, thereby permitting such oligonucleotides to separate from one another. Such separation attenuates the quenching of the fluorophore and thereby causes the fluorescent signal to become detectable. During the subsequent annealing stage of the PCR process, hybridization occurs between the loop domain of the probe and the complementary primer extension product of the probe. Such hybridization prevents the complementary stem oligonucleotides of the scorpion probe from re-hybridizing to one another, and thus causes the detectable fluorescent signal to be maintained.

[00134] Similarly, an ORFlab scorpion primer-probe whose loop polypeptide domain has the sequence ttcttattacagaaggtagt (SEQ ID NO:141, corresponding to residues 52-73 of SEQ ID NO:3) could have the sequence, from 5’ to 3’, of a 5’ stem oligonucleotide (e.g., any of SEQ ID NOs:382-397, etc.), the ORFlab oligonucleotide (SEQ ID NO:141), a 3’ stem oligonucleotide whose sequence is complementary to that of the probe’s 5’ stem 2021246903  28 Oct 2022 oligonucleotide, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide having the sequence gtagacttatttagaaatgc (SEQ ID NO:399, corresponding to residues 21-40 of SEQ ID NO:3).

[00135] Similarly, illustrative S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probes would comprise, from 5’ to 5   3’, a 5’ stem oligonucleotide (e.g., any of SEQ ID NOs:382-397, etc.), an S Gene oligonucleotide (e.g., any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the abovedescribed S Gene probes (e.g., SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, etc.)), a 3’ stem oligonucleotide whose sequence is complementary to that of 10 the probe’s 5’ stem oligonucleotide, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide domain whose sequence is selected so that it is capable of hybridizing to a region of the S gene that is approximately 7 bases, 8 bases, 9 bases, 10 bases, or more preferably 11 bases upstream of an S gene sequence that is the same as the sequence of the probe’s S gene oligonucleotide domain (or differs from such sequence by 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 nucleotide residues), such that 15 extension of the PCR primer oligonucleotide domain forms an extension product whose sequence is complementary to the probe’s S gene oligonucleotide domain.

[00136] To illustrate the structure of such S gene scorpion primer-probes, the nucleotide sequences of an S gene scorpion primer-probe whose loop polypeptide domain has the 20 sequence of the preferred S gene probe tgcacagaagtccctgttgct (SEQ ID NO:11) could have the sequence, from 5’ to 3’, of a 5’ stem oligonucleotide (e.g., any of SEQ ID NOs:382-397, etc.), the preferred S gene probe (SEQ ID NO:11), a 3’ stem oligonucleotide whose sequence is complementary to that of the probe’s 5’ stem oligonucleotide, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide having the sequence ccaggttgctgttctttatc (SEQ ID NO:400, corresponding 25 to residues 5-24 of SEQ ID NO:7). After extension of the primer by 32 bases, the primer extension product contains a domain complementary to the sequence of the preferred S gene probe. Denaturation occurring in a subsequent step of the PCR process denatures the hybridized, complementary stem oligonucleotides, thereby permitting such oligonucleotides to separate from one another. Such separation attenuates the quenching of the fluorophore 30 and thereby causes the fluorescent signal to become detectable. During the subsequent annealing stage of the PCR process, hybridization occurs between the loop domain of the probe and the complementary primer extension product of the probe. Such hybridization 2021246903  28 Oct 2022 prevents the complementary stem oligonucleotides of the scorpion probe from rehybridizing to one another, and thus causes the detectable fluorescent signal to be maintained. 5

[00137] Similarly, an S gene scorpion primer-probe whose loop polypeptide domain has the sequence cagaagtccctgttgctatt (SEQ ID NO:257, corresponding to residues 40-59 of SEQ ID NO:7) could have the sequence, from 5’ to 3’, of a 5’ stem oligonucleotide (e.g., any of SEQ ID NOs:382-397, etc.), the S gene oligonucleotide (SEQ ID NO:257), a 3’ stem oligonucleotide whose sequence is complementary to that of the probe’s 5’ stem 10 oligonucleotide, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide having either the sequence gttgctgttctttatcagga (SEQ ID NO:401, corresponding to residues 9-28 of SEQ ID NO:7) or the sequence gttgctgttctttatcaggg (SEQ ID NO:402).  The nucleotide residue that is responsible for the D614G single nucleotide polymorphism of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene is underlined. The use of S gene scorpion primer-probes having such PCR primer 15 oligonucleotides would distinguish SARS-CoV-2 genomes having the single nucleotide polymorphism responsible for the D614G variation from SARS-CoV-2 S genomes lacking such polymorphism.

[00138] As discussed above, the 5’ terminus of the 5’ stem oligonucleotide of such scorpion 20 primer-probes is labeled with a fluorophore, and the 3’ terminus of the 3’ stem oligonucleotide of such scorpion primer-probes is complexed to a quencher, which is separated from the 5’ terminus of the probe’s PCR primer oligonucleotide by a blocker moiety. Suitable fluorophores and quenchers are as described above. 25                          (d) HyBeacon™ Probes

[00139] As discussed above, the invention additionally contemplates rRT-PCR assays in which detection is mediated through the use of HyBeacon™ probes (LGC Limited). HyBeacon™ probes comprise oligonucleotides that lack significant secondary structure and possess a fluorophore moiety attached to an internal nucleotide, and are typically modified 30 at their 3’ terminus to prevent polymerase-mediated extension (US Patent Nos. 7,348,141 and 7,998,673; French, D.J. et al. (2001) “HyBeacon Probes: A New Tool For DNA Sequence Detection And Allele Discrimination,” Mol. Cell. Probes 15(6):363-374; French, D.J. et al. (2006) “HyBeacons®: A Novel DNA Probe Chemistry For Rapid Genetic Analysis” Inti. Cong. Series 1288:707-709; French, D.J. et al. (2008) “HyBeacon Probes For Rapid DNA Sequence Detection And Allele Discrimination” Methods Mol Biol. 429:171-85). Such probes do not rely on probe secondary structures, enzymatic digestion or interaction with additional oligonucleotides for target detection and sequence discrimination, but instead emit greater amounts of fluorescence when hybridized to complementary target oligonucleotides than when present in a non-hybridized singlestranded conformation. This shift in the quantity of fluorescence emission occurs as a direct result of target hybridization and, therefore, permits the detection and discrimination of DNA sequences by real-time PCR and melting curve analysis methodologies. Sequences differing by as little as a single nucleotide may be distinguished by measuring and exploiting the variation in Tm that occurs between different probe / target duplexes. HyBeacon™ Probes do not rely on probe secondary structures, enzymatic digestion or interaction with additional oligonucleotides for target detection and sequence discrimination. Typically, the HyBeacon™ probes of the present invention comprise 20 nucleotides or more in length. Suitable fluorophores and quenchers are as described above. Exemplary fluorophores that may be employed as the fluorophore of such probes include FAM, HEX, and TET.

[00140] Any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described ORFlab probes (e g., SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166, etc.) may be employed to form a HyBeacon™ probe suitable for detecting the region of ORFlab that is amplified by the above-described preferred ORFlab Primers (e g., SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, any of SEQ ID NOs:17-28, any of SEQ ID NOs:29-42, any of SEQ ID NOs:398-399, any of SEQ ID N0s:403-406, and their respective variants). Additional HyBeacon™ probes for the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab having shorter or longer ORFlab regions can be readily constructed, for example by reducing or increasing the size of employed SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide, as desired.

[00141] Illustrative ORFlab HyBeacon™ probes thus comprise, from 5’ to 3’, an oligonucleotide capable of hybridizing to a domain of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab (e.g., any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described ORFlab probes (e.g., SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147- 166, etc.). As discussed above, an internal residue of the ORFlab HyBeacon™ probe is labeled, preferably with a fluorophore, and the 3’ terminus of the probe is preferably modified terminus to prevent its polymerase-mediated extension when annealed to a complementary target molecule.

[00142] Similarly, any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described S Gene probes (e g., SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, etc.) may be employed to form a HyBeacon™ probe suitable for detecting the region of the S gene that is amplified by the above-described preferred S Gene Primers (e.g., SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:6, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:71-84, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs: 113-126, or any of SEQ ID N0s:400-402, or any of SEQ ID N0s:407-410, and their respective variants). Additional HyBeacon™ probes for the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene having shorter or longer S Gene regions can be readily constructed, for example by reducing or increasing the size of employed SARS-CoV-2 S Gene oligonucleotide, as desired.

[00143] Illustrative S Gene HyBeacon™ probes thus comprise, from 5’ to 3’, an oligonucleotide capable of hybridizing to a domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene (e.g., any of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domains of the above-described S gene probes (e.g., SEQ ID NO: 11, SEQ ID NO: 12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, etc.). As discussed above, an internal residue of the S Gene HyBeacon™ probe is labeled with a fluorophore, and the 3’ terminus of the probe is preferably modified terminus to prevent its polymerase-mediated extension when annealed to a complementary target molecule. HyBeacon™ probes are particularly suitable for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the S gene of SARS-CoV-2 viruses of a clinical sample (such as SNPs that cause the D614G, V515F, V622I, or P631S S gene polymorphisms). Particularly preferred are HyBeacon™ probes that are capable of detecting the A1841G single nucleotide polymorphism that causes the S gene D614G polymorphism. Examples of such probes include oligonucleotides that have the sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, etc. 3. Distinctive Attributes of the Preferred rRT-PCR Primers and Probes of the Present Invention

[00144] The assays of the present invention possess particular distinctive attributes that distinguish such assays from the assays of the prior art. One characteristic of the present invention relates to the use of at least two SARS-CoV-2 target regions as a basis for detection in an rRT-PCR assay. Thus, the rRT-PCR assays of the present invention preferably employ at least two sets of Forward and Reverse primers so as to be capable of specifically and simultaneously amplifying two oligonucleotide regions of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In preferred embodiments, the primers of one of such two sets of primers have sequences that are capable of specifically amplifying a region of ORFlab, and the primers of the second of such two sets of primers have sequences that are capable of specifically amplifying a region of the S gene.

[00145] The use of two amplification targets increases the accuracy of the assays of the present invention since they help ensure that such assays will continue to detect SARS-CoV-2 even if one target becomes eliminated from clinical isolates (for example by spontaneous mutation). The use of two amplification targets also increases the sensitivity of the assay because it is possible that the amplification of a particular target might not provide a detectable concentration of amplified product, for example due to processing or handling issues. By having two targets, the assays of the present invention are more likely to avoid such “false negative” results.

[00146] The selection of ORFlab and the S genes as targets is a further characteristic of the assays of the present invention. These genes are particularly characteristic of SARS-CoV-2, and indeed the targeted region of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene (i.e., its SI domain) exhibits relatively low homology (only 68%) to the S genes of other coronaviruses (by comparison the ORFla of SARS-CoV-2 exhibits about 90% homology to the ORFla of SARS-CoV; the ORFlb of SARS-CoV-2 exhibits about 86% homology to the ORFlb of SARS-CoV (Lu, R. et al. (2020) “Genomic Characterisation And Epidemiology Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Implications For Virus Origins And Receptor Binding,” The Lancet 395(10224):565-574). Thus, it is more likely that the assays of the present invention will not inaccurately amplify sequences of non-SARS-CoV-2 pathogens. Thus, the assays of the present invention are more likely to avoid “false positive” results.

[00147] The assays of the present invention employ probes that are unique to SARS-CoV-2 and detect SARS-CoV-2 under conditions in which non-SARS-CoV-2 pathogens are not detected. In a further attribute, the assays of the present invention employ very fast system primers that are designed to mediate the same degree of amplification under the same reaction parameters and temperatures.

[00148] The melting temperatures (Tm) of PCR primers determine their kinetics of denaturation from complementary oligonucleotides and their kinetics of annealing to complementary oligonucleotides (see, SantaLucia, J. (1998) A Unified View Of Polymer, Dumbbell, And Oligonucleotide DNA Nearest-Neighbor Thermodynamics,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (U.S.A.) 95:1460-1465; von Ahsen, N. et al. (1999) "Application Of A Thermodynamic Nearest-Neighbor Model To Estimate Nucleic Acid Stability And Optimize Probe Design: Prediction Of Melting Points Of Multiple Mutations Of Apolipoprotein B-3500 And Factor V With A Hybridization Probe Genotyping Assay On The Lightcycler,” Clin. Chern. 45(12):2094-2101). Primer pairs that exhibit “substantially identical melting temperatures” (i.e., + 2 °C, more preferably, + 1 °C, still more preferably + 0.5 °C, and most preferably + 0.1 °C, as calculated using the method of SantaLucia, J. (1998)) maximize the overall yield of the products that they amplify, and the rate at which such products are produced.

[00149] Significantly, the preferred Forward and Reverse ORF lab Primers of the present invention exhibit such substantially identical melting temperatures, which is a further distinction of the present invention. The preferred Forward ORF lab Primer has a basestacking Tm of 58.2 °C, whereas the preferred Reverse ORFlab Primer has a base-stacking Tm of 58.1 °C. Thus, the use of the preferred Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers of the present invention serves to maximize the overall yield of the amplified ORFlab product, and the rate at which such product is produced.

[00150] The preferred Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers of the present invention also exhibit substantially identical melting temperatures, which is a further distinction of the present invention. The preferred Forward S Gene Primer has a base-stacking Tm of 60 °C, whereas the preferred Reverse S Gene Primer has a base-stacking Tm of 59.9 °C. Thus, the use of the preferred Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers of the present invention serves to maximize the overall yield of the amplified S Gene product, and the rate at which such product is produced.

[00151] Significantly, the melting temperatures of the Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers of the present invention are substantially similar to the melting temperature of the preferred Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers of the present invention. Thus, these two sets of preferred primers are extremely well-matched, which is a further distinction of the present invention. Their combined use serves to equalize the overall yield of the amplified ORFlab and S gene products, which are of similar length (117 nucleotides vs. 103 nucleotides). The substantially similar melting temperatures of the employed sets of primers and the similar lengths of the two amplified products are further distinctions of the present invention.

[00152] In designing an rRT-PCR assay, it is desirable for the employed probe to have a Tm that is 5-10 °C higher than the employed amplification primers. The employed ORFlab Probe has a base-stacking Tm of 66.2 °C, an 8 0 C difference from the Tm of the preferred ORFlab Primers of the present invention. The employed S Gene Probe has a matching basestacking Tm of 66.6 °C, a 6.6 0 C difference from the Tm of the preferred S Gene Primers of the present invention. Thus, each of the preferred probes of the present invention exhibit a desired Tm and the two preferred probes of the present invention exhibit substantially identical Tms. These are further distinctions of the present invention. C. Other Amplification Assay Formats

[00153] Although the invention’s assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 have been described in terms of rRT-PCR assays, the invention additionally contemplates the use of other assay formats, such as Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), rolling circle amplification, ligase chain reaction amplification, strand-displacement amplification, bind-wash PCR, singing wire PCR, NASBA (Fakruddin, M. et al. (2013) “Nucleic Acid Amplification: Alternative Methods Of Polymerase Chain Reaction,” J. Pharm. Bioallied Sci. 5(4):245-252; Zhang, H. et al. (2019) “LAMP-On-A-Chip: Revising Microfluidic Platforms For Loop-Mediated DNA Amplification,” Trends Analyt. Chem. 113:44-53; Bodulev, O.L. et al. (2020) “Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques and Their Use in Bioanalysis,” Biochemistry (Mose) 85(2):147-166; Dunbar, S. et al. (2019) "Amplification Chemistries In Clinical Virology,” J. Clin. Virol. 115:18-31; Daher, R.K. et al. (2016) “Recombinase Polymerase Amplification for Diagnostic Applications,” Clin. Chem. 62(7):947-958; Goo, N.I. et al. (2016) “Rolling Circle Amplification As Isothermal Gene Amplification In Molecular Diagnostics,” Biochip J. 10(4):262-271; PCT Publication No. WO 2018 / 073435; US Patent No. 10,619,151; US Patent Publication No. US 2020 / 0063173; US 2019 / 0249168; US 2018 / 0237842), etc.).

[00154] For example, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) may be used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in accordance with the present invention. The LAMP process amplifies DNA using four primers to amplify a target DNA oligonucleotide that is present in a doublestranded DNA molecule whose strands comprise the following domains: 3’ F3c-F2c-Flc-target oligonucleotide-Bl-B2-B3 5’ and 5’ F3-F2-Fl-complement of target oligonucleotide-Blc-B2c-B3c 3’, wherein F3 and F3c, F2 and F2c, Fl and Flc, B3 and B3c, B2 and B2c, and B1 and B 1c have complementary sequences. The four LAMP primers are: (1) a forward internal primer (FIP) composed of a 5’ Flc domain, whose sequence is complementary to the sequence of the Fl domain, and a 3’ F2 domain whose sequence is complementary to the sequence of the F2c domain; (2) a forward external primer (F3) whose sequence is complementary to the sequence of the F3c domain; (3) a backward internal primer (BIP) composed of a 5’ Bic domain, whose sequence is complementary to the sequence of the Bl domain, and a 3’ B2 domain whose sequence is complementary to the sequence of the B2c domain; (4) a backward external primer (B3) whose sequence is complementary to the sequence of the B3c domain; (see, Notomi, T. et al. (2000) “Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Of DNA,” Nucl. Acids Res. 28(12):E63:l-7; US Patent Nos. 6,974,670; 7,175,985; 7,494,790; 7,638,280; 9,909,168; US Patent Publication Nos. 2018 / 0371534; 2007 / 0099178; PCT Publication No. WO 2017 / 108663Al; EP Publication Nos. EP 1642978 and EP 1020534).

[00155] The selection of appropriate primers may be facilitated through the use of primer selection software (e.g., PrimerExplorerV5, NEB LAMP Primer Design Tool, etc.). Illustrative sets of LAMP primers for amplifying domains of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab and S gene are shown in Table 11. Table 11 Illustrative LAMP Primer Sequence SEQ ID NO: ORFlab FIP gaacaccattacgggcatttcta-tcttttttgatggtagagttga 403 ORFlab F3 tttgtgcaccactcactg 404 ORFlab BIP aggtagtgttaaaggtttacaacca-caattaatgtgactccattaagact 405 ORFlab B3 ctgtgtttttacggcttctc 406 S Gene FIP ctgtgcagttaacatcctgataaaga-gtgttataacaccaggaacaa 407 S Gene F3 tgttcttttggtggtgtca 408 S Gene BIP gaagtccctgttgctattcatgc-gtgtttgaaaaacattagaacct 409 S Gene B3 gcccctattaaacagcct 410

[00156] The illustrative ORFlab LAMP primers mediate the amplification of a domain of ORFlab between the F2 / F2c domains and the B2 / B2c domains (SEQ ID NO:411) (residues 10-126 of which correspond to SEQ ID NO:3): tcttttttga tggtagagtt gatggtcaag tagacttatt tagaaatgcc cgtaatggtg ttcttattac agaaggtagt gttaaaggtt tacaaccatc tgtaggtccc aaacaagcta gtcttaatgg agtcacatta attg and its complement (SEQ ID NO:412) (residues 19-135 of which correspond to SEQ ID NO:4): caattaatgt gactccatta agactagctt gtttgggacc tacagatggt tgtaaacctt taacactacc ttctgtaata agaacaccat tacgggcatt tctaaataag tctacttgac catcaactct accatcaaaa aaga

[00157] The illustrative S Gene LAMP primers mediate the amplification of a domain of the S gene between the F2 / F2c domains and the B2 / B2c domains (SEQ ID NO:413) (residues 28-130 of which correspond to SEQ ID NO:7) (the nucleotide residue that is responsible for the D614G single nucleotide polymorphism of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene is underlined): gtgttataac accaggaaca aatacttcta accaggttgc tgttctttat caggatgtta actgcacaga agtccctgtt gctattcatg cagatcaact tactcctact tggcgtgttt attctacagg ttctaatgtt tttcaaacac gtgc and its complement (SEQ ID NO:414) (residues 25-127 of which correspond to SEQ ID NO:8): gcacgtgttt gaaaaacatt agaacctgta gaataaacac gccaagtagg agtaagttga tctgcatgaa tagcaacagg gacttctgtg cagttaacat cctgataaag aacagcaacc tggttagaag tatttgttcc tggtgttata acac

[00158] In a preferred embodiment, detection of LAMP amplification is accomplished using one or two loop-primers, i.e., a Loop Primer B and / or a Loop Primer F (which contain sequences complementary to the single-stranded domain located between the abovedescribed Bl and B2 domains or between the above-described Fl and F2 domains (PCT Publication No. WO 2017 / 108663). Either the Loop Primer F or the Loop Primer B, if present, is labeled at its 5’-end with at least one acceptor fluorophore. A further oligonucleotide probe, which is labeled at its 3’-end with at least one donor fluorophore is also employed. Especially preferred is the donor / acceptor pair BODIPY FL / ATTO647N. The further oligonucleotide probe has a sequence that is capable of hybridizing to the target nucleic acid sequence at a position which is 5' to the labeled Loop Primer F or Loop Primer B so that, when hybridized to the target nucleic acid sequence, the 3’-end of the oligonucleotide probe is brought into close proximity to the 5’-end of the labeled Loop Primer F or Loop Primer B. D. Nested and Multiplexed Amplification Reactions

[00159] In one embodiment, the specificity and efficiency of the SARS-CoV-2 detection assays of the present invention are increased through the use of pairs of nested primers (see, e.g., US Patent Nos. 4,683,202 and 8,906,622; Basiri, A. et al. (2020) “Microfluidic Devices For Detection Of RNA Viruses,” Rev Med Virol. e2154:l-ll; Ratcliff, R.M. et al. (2007) “Molecular diagnosis of medical viruses,” Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 9(2):87-102; Hu, Y. et al. (2009) “Nested Real-Time PCR For Hepatitis A Detection,” Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 49(5):615-619).

[00160] In one embodiment, the SARS-CoV-2 detection assays of the present invention are multiplexed reactions (Elnifro, E.M. et al. (2000) “Multiplex PCR: Optimization And Application In Diagnostic Virology” Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 13(4):559-570; Lam, W.Y. etal. (2007) “Rapid Multiplex Nested PCR For Detection Of Respiratory Viruses,” J. Clin. Microbiol. 45(11):3631-3640; Ratcliff, R.M. et al. (2007) “Molecular diagnosis of medical viruses,” Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 9(2):87-102).

[00161] In one such embodiment the amplification of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab and S gene sequences is concurrently achieved in the same reaction chamber. The invention also pertains to multiplexed amplification reactions, in which the amplification and / or detection of two or more different SARS-CoV-2 target sequences of the same gene (e.g., one or more different SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab target sequences in addition to the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab target sequences described above, one or more different SARS-CoV-2 S gene target sequences in addition to the SARS-CoV-2 S gene target sequences described above, etc.) is concurrently achieved through the use of additional sets of primer and probe molecules specific for such other target sequences. In one embodiment, such additional SARS-CoV-2 target sequences encompass polymorphisms that distinguish different SARS-CoV-2 clades. Exemplary polymorphisms of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene that may be detected in such embodiments of the invention are shown in Table 12. Table 12 GenBank Ref. No. Protein GenBank Ref. No. Genomic Polymorphism GenBank Ref. No. Protein GenBank Ref. No. Genomic Polymorphism S Protein S Gene S Protein S Gene QHR84449.1 MT007544.1 S247R T741G QIZ16509.1 MT327745.1 V772I G2314A QHU79173.2 MT020781.2 H49Y C145T QIZ16559.1 MT328034.1 I197V A589G QHZ00379.1 MT039890.1 S221W C662G QIZ64470.1 MT334539.1 D614G A1078S A1841G G3232T QIA20044.1 MT049951.1 Y28N T82A QIZ64530.1 MT334544.1 D614G S939F A1841R G3371K QIA98583.1 MT050493.1 A930V C2789T QIZ64578.1 MT334548.1 H146Y D614G C436T A1841G QIC53204.1 MT093571.1 F797C T2390G QIZ64624.1 MT334552.1 S98F C293T QII57278.1 MT159716.2 F157L C471A QIZ97039.1 MT339039.1 N148S A443G QII87830.1 MT163720.1 H655Y C1963T QIZ97051.1 MT339040.1 Y279X D614G A836N T837N A1841G QIJ96493.1 MT184910.1 G181V G542T QJA17276.1 MT345871.1 D614G 1818V A1841G A2452G QIK50427.1 MT192765.1 D614G A1841G QJA 17468.1 MT345887.1 L5F D614G C13T A1841G Table 12 GenBank Ref. No. Protein GenBank Ref. No. Genomic Polymorphism GenBank Ref. No. Protein GenBank Ref. No. Genomic Polymorphism S Protein S Gene S Protein S Gene QIO04367.1 MT226610.1 N74K T222A QJA 17524.1 MT344944.1 D614X G1124X A1841G C2816T QIQ08810.1 MT233521.1 K528X A1582N QJA17596.1 MT344950.1 D614G L1203F A1841G C3607T QIQ49882.1 MT246461.1 L5F G476S C13T G1426A QJA42177.1 MT350252.1 D614G V1065L A1841G G3193T QIQ50092.1 MT246482.1 K814X A2440N A2441N G2442N QJC19491.1 MT358637.1 Q271R D614G A812G A1841G QIS30105.1 MT258381.1 D614X A1841R QJC20043.1 MT358689.1 K529E D614G A1585G A1841G QIS30115.1 MT258382.1 P427X D614G T1281W A1841G QJC20367.1 MT358716.1 D614G S929I A1841G G2786T QIS30165.1 MT259236.1 V483A T1448C QJC20391.1 MT358718.1 D614G T768I A1841G C2303T QIS30295.1 MT259249.1 L54F D614G G162C A1841G QJC20993.1 MT230904.1 V367F G1099T QIS30335.1 MT259253.1 A348T G1042A QJD20632.1 MT370516.1 T791I C2372T QIS30425.1 MT259262.1 G476S C84T G1426A QJD23273.1 MT370831.1 V90F D614G G268T G906T A1841G QIS60489.1 MT262915.1 A520S G1558T QJD23524.1 MT370852.1 P217X C650N QIS60546.1 MT263384.1 T29I C86T C2472T QJD24377.1 MT370923.1 A522S D614G G1564T A1841G QIS60582.1 MT263387.1 D1259H G3775C QJD25085.1 MT370982.1 F220X D614G T659N A1841G QIS60906.1 MT263414.1 L5F C13T QJD25529.1 MT371019.1 D614G P631S A1841G C1891T QIS60930.1 MT263416.1 E96D G288T QJD47202.1 MT375441.1 M731I G2193T QIS60978.1 MT263420.1 D1168H G3502C QJD47358.1 MT375454.1 Y423X D614G A1268N A1841G QIS61254.1 MT263443.1 A1078V C3233T QJD47442.1 MT375461.1 Y200X D614G A599N A1841G QIS61338.1 MT263450.1 D111N G331A QJD47718.1 MT374101.1 H49Y S884F C145T C2651T QIS61422.1 MT263457.1 H519Q T1557A QJD48279.1 MT252707.1 M1237I A3711C QIS61468.1 MT263461.1 A942X A2823N G2824N QJE38426.1 MT385432.1 A845S G8533T QIT07011.1 MT276600.1 L8V T22G QJE38606.1 MT385447.1 Y145H D614G T433C A1841G QIU78825.1 MT292579.1 G910X G2728N QJE38822.1 MT385465.1 S704X T2110Y QIU80913.1 MT281577.1 S50L C249T QJF11959.1 MT394529.1 L752X C2254Y QIU80973.1 MT293160.1 A27V C80T QJF11971.1 MT394530.1 H655X C1963Y QIU81585.1 MT293211.1 T240I C719T QJF75467.1 MT412183.1 N354B A441R A1060R C2472T QIU81873.2 MT291835.2 A653V C1958T QJF75779.1 MT412209.1 V503X D614G G1507K A1841G QIU81885.1 MT291836.1 A570V C1709T C2461T QJF76007.1 MT412228.1 S704L C2111T C2820T QIV15164.1 MT304489.1 Q644X T771Y C1930Y QJF76438.1 MT412264.1 L118F D614G C352T A1841G Table 12 GenBank Ref. No. Protein GenBank Ref. No. Genomic Polymorphism GenBank Ref. No. Protein GenBank Ref. No. Genomic Polymorphism S Protein S Gene S Protein S Gene QIV65033.1 MT308695.1 Y265X A794W QJF77194.1 MT412327.1 A27S D614G G79T A1841G QIZ13143.1 MT326038.1 L1152X T3454N T3455N QJF77846.1 MT415320.1 Y28H T82C C2568T QIZ13179.1 MT326041.1 S71F C212T QJG65949.1 MT415368.1 G485R G1453A T1455G QIZI 3299.1 MT326051.1 D80Y G238T QJG65951.1 MT415370.1 A67S F1103L G199T T3307C A3312G QIZ13765.1 MT326090.1 D614G V615F A1841G G1843T QJG65954.1 MT415373.1 S750R L752R C2250A C2254A T2255G T2256G C2461T QIZ13789.1 MT326092.1 D614G V622I A1841G G1864A C2013T QJG65956.1 MT415375.1 G838S G2512A QIZI 3861.1 MT326098.1 V70F G208T QJG65957.1 MT415376.1 W152R T454C QIZ14569.1 MT326157.1 C1250Y G3749A QJI53955.1 MT419818.1 Q239R D614G A716G A1841G QIZ15585.1 MT325564.1 D614G V1228X A1841G T3683Y QJQ04352.1 MT429191.1 D614G T676S A1841G A2026T QIZ15717.1 MT325575.1 P9L C26T C2472T QJQ27878.1 MT434760.1 K557X A1669N C2367T QIZ15969.1 MT325596.1 F238X D614G T708Y T712W T713K A1841G QJQ28105.1 MT434799.1 T95I D614G C284T A1841G QIZ16197.1 MT325615.1 W258L D614G G773T A1841G

[00162] In one embodiment, the SARS-CoV-2 detection assays of the present invention are multiplexed reactions in which the amplification and / or detection of one or more SARS-CoV-2 target sequences other than ORF la or the S gene is concurrently achieved through 5 the use of additional sets of primer and probe molecules specific for such other target sequences. Such sequences could be sequences of the 3, E (envelope protein), M (matrix), 7, 8, 9,10b, N, 13 and 14 genes, or sequences that encode the nsp2, nsp3, nsp4, nsp5, nsp6, nsp7, nsp8, nsp9, nsplO, nspl2, nspl3, nspl4a2, nspl5, and / or nspl6 proteins, etc.

[00163] In one embodiment, the SARS-CoV-2 detection assays of the present invention are 10 multiplexed reactions in which the amplification and / or detection of one or more SARS- CoV-2 target sequences and the amplification and / or detection of one or more target sequences of a pathogen other than SARS-CoV-2 (and especially a respiratory pathogen other than SARS-CoV-2) is concurrently achieved through the use of additional sets of primer and probe molecules specific for such other target sequences. Examples of such other pathogens include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, influenza virus (e.g., influenza A, influenza B, etc.), rhinovirus, non-SARS-CoV-2 pathogenic coronavirus, parainfluenza virus, human metapneumovirus (hMPV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, etc. (see, e.g., Basile, K. et al. (2018) “Point-Of-Care Diagnostics For Respiratory Viral Infections,” Exp. Rev. Molec. Diagnos. 18(l):75-83; Mahony, J.B. et al. (2011) “Molecular Diagnosis Of Respiratory Virus Infections,” Crit. Rev. Clin. Lab. Sci. 48(5-6):217-249; leven, M. (2007) “Currently Used Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests For The Detection Of Viruses And Atypicals In Acute Respiratory Infections,” J. Clin. Virol. 40(4):259-276). IV. Preferred Methods for Conducting the Assays of the Present Invention A. Detection of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab

[00164] In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the detection of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotides in a clinical sample may be achieved using a TaqMan ORFlab Probe by: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase that has a 5’—>3’ exonuclease activity; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) ORFlab Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) ORFlab Primer; and (4) a TaqMan ORFlab Probe capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers, wherein the TaqMan ORFlab Probe comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, and has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166, wherein the 5’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is labeled with a fluorophore and the 3’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher of such fluorophore. wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse ORF lab Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the TaqMan ORFlab Probe to hybridize to amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules; and (c) the 5’—>3’ exonuclease activity to hydrolyze hybridized TaqMan ORFlab Probe, to thereby separate the fluorophore thereof from the quencher thereof and cause a fluorescent signal to become detectable; and (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable.

[00165] In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the detection of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotides in a clinical sample may alternatively be achieved using a Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe by: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) ORFlab Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) ORFlab Primer; and (4) a Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers, wherein the Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe comprises a SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide domain that is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and another of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectable label, wherein the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide domain of the Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166; wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse ORF lab Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe to hybridize to amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules, thereby separating the fluorophore thereof from the quencher thereof and causing a fluorescent signal to become detectable; and (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable.

[00166] In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the detection of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotides in a clinical sample may alternatively be achieved using an ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe by: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) ORFlab Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) ORFlab Primer; and (4) an ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers, wherein the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and the other of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectably label, and wherein such 3’ oligonucleotide further comprises a polymerization blocking moiety, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide positioned 3’ from the blocking moiety, wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the ORFlab Scorpion PrimerProbe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166; and wherein the PCR primer oligonucleotide is selected so that it is capable of hybridizing to a region of ORFlab that is approximately 7 bases, 8 bases, 9 bases, 10 bases, or more preferably 11 bases upstream of an ORFlab sequence that is the same as the sequence of the probe’s ORFlab oligonucleotide domain (or differs from such sequence by 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 nucleotide residues), such that extension of the PCR primer oligonucleotide domain of the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe forms an extension product whose sequence is complementary to the probe’s ORFlab oligonucleotide domain; wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe to hybridize to amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules and be extended to form a domain that is complementary to the sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe, such that, upon denaturation, the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe hybridizes to the extended domain of the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe, and thereby prevents the complementary 5’ oligonucleotide and 3’ oligonucleotide domains of the probe from re-hybridizing to one another and attenuating the quenching of the detectable label; (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable.

[00167] Suitable Forward (or sense strand) ORF lab Primers for such assays include oligonucleotides having a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:1 or any of SEQ ID NOs:17-28. Suitable Reverse (or antisense strand) ORFlab Primers for such assays include oligonucleotides having a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:2 or any of SEQ ID NOs:29-42. B. Detection of the SARS-CoV-2 S Gene

[00168] In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the detection of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 S Gene oligonucleotides in a clinical sample may be achieved using a TaqMan S Gene Probe by: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase that has a 5’—>3’ exonuclease activity; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) S Gene Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) S Gene Primer; and (4) the TaqMan S Gene Probe, wherein such probe is capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 S Gene oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers, wherein the TaqMan S Gene Probe comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, and has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide portion whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein the 5’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is labeled with a fluorophore and the 3’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher of such fluorophore. wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the TaqMan S Gene Probe to hybridize to amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules; and 5          (c) the 5’—>3’ exonuclease activity to hydrolyze hybridized TaqMan S Gene Probe, to thereby separate the fluorophore thereof from the quencher thereof and cause a fluorescent signal to become detectable; and (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable. 10

[00169] In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the detection of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotides in a clinical sample may be achieved using a Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe by: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: 15          (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) S Gene Primer; (3)    a Reverse (or antisense strand) S Gene Primer; and (4)    the Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe, wherein such probe is capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotide that is 20                 amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers, wherein the Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe comprises a SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotide portion that is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one 25                 another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and another of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectable label, wherein the SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotide portion of the Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe has a nucleotide sequence that 30                  consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167- 252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381; wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the S Gene of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe to hybridize to amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules, thereby separating the fluorophore thereof from the quencher thereof and causing a fluorescent signal to become detectable; and (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable.

[00170] In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the detection of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotides in a clinical sample may alternatively be achieved using an S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe by: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) S Gene Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) S Gene Primer; and (4) the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe, wherein such probe is capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers, wherein the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and the other of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectably label, and wherein such 3’ oligonucleotide further comprises a polymerization blocking moiety, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide positioned 3’ from the blocking moiety, wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO: 11, SEQ ID NO: 12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381; and wherein the PCR primer oligonucleotide is selected so that it is capable of hybridizing to a region of S gene that is approximately 7 bases, 8 bases, 9 bases, 10 bases, or more preferably 11 bases upstream of an S gene sequence that is the same as the sequence of the probe’s S gene oligonucleotide domain (or differs from such sequence by 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 nucleotide residues), such that extension of the PCR primer oligonucleotide domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe forms an extension product whose sequence is complementary to the probe’s S Gene oligonucleotide domain; wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe to hybridize to amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules and be extended to form a domain that is complementary to the sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe, such that, upon denaturation, the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe hybridizes to the extended domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe, and thereby prevents the complementary 5’ oligonucleotide and 3’ oligonucleotide domains of the probe from re-hybridizing to one another and attenuating the quenching of the detectable label; (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable.

[00171] Suitable Forward (or sense strand) S Gene Primers include oligonucleotides having a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:5 or any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, or any of SEQ ID NOs:71-84. Suitable Reverse (or antisense strand) S Gene Primers include oligonucleotides having a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:6, or any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, or any of SEQ ID NOs: 113-126.

[00172] As discussed above, the region of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene amplified by the primers of the present invention comprises the nucleotide residue (position 1841 of SEQ ID NO: 16) that is responsible for the D614G polymorphism of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene. In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the detection of the presence of the D614G polymorphism may be achieved using primers whose 3’ termini distinguish the nucleotide residue present at such position. Exemplary primers having this characteristic include primers comprising the nucleotide sequence of any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70 or any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112.

[00173] In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the detection of the presence of the D614G polymorphism may alternatively be achieved using molecular beacon probes, HyBeacon™ probes or scorpion primer-probes whose sequences comprise the position 1841 nucleotide. Exemplary oligonucleotides having this characteristic include: any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363 V. Preferred Platform for Conducting the Assays of the Present Invention

[00174] In a preferred embodiment, the above-described preferred primers and probes assay the presence of SARS-CoV-2 using a Direct Amplification Disc (DiaSorin Molecular LLC) and SIMPLEXA® Direct Chemistry (DiaSorin Molecular LLC), as processed by a LIAISON® MDX (DiaSorin Molecular LLC) rRt-PCR platform. The operating principles of DiaSorin Molecular LLC’s LIAISON® MDX rRt-PCR platform, SIMPLEXA® Direct Chemistry and Direct Amplification Disc are disclosed in US Patent No. 9,067,205, US Patent Publn. No. 2012 / 0291565 Al, EP 2499498 Bl, EP 2709760 Bl, all herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

[00175] In brief, the LIAISON® MDX (DiaSorin) rRt-PCR platform is a compact and portable thermocycler that additionally provides centrifugation and reaction processing capabilities. The device is capable of mediating sample heating (> 5 °C / sec) and cooling (> 4 °C / sec), and of regulating temperature to + 0.5 °C (in the range from room temperature to 99 0 C). The LIAISON® MDX rRt-PCR platform has the ability to excite fluorescent labels at 475 nm, 475 nm, 520 nm, 580 nm, and 640 nm, and to measure fluorescence at 520 nm, 560 nm, 610 nm, and 682 nm, respectively.

[00176] The Direct Amplification Disc is radially oriented, multi-chambered, fluidic device that is capable of processing the amplification of target sequences (if present) in up to 8 (50 pL) clinical samples at a time. The samples may be provided directly to the Direct Amplification Disc, as cellular material or lysates, without any prior DNA or RNA extraction.

[00177] In brief, an aliquot of the clinical sample and reaction reagents (i.e., a DNA polymerase, a reverse transcriptase, one or more pairs of SARS-CoV-2-specific primers (preferably, the above-discussed preferred Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers and the above-discussed preferred Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers, two or more SARS-CoV-2-specific probes (preferably, the above-discussed preferred ORFlab Probe and the abovediscussed preferred S Gene Probe), and deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) and buffers) are separately provided to a provision area of the Direct Amplification Disc (see, US Patent No. 9,067,205, US Patent Publn No. 2012 / 0291565 Al, EP 2709760 Bl). Preferably, the reaction reagents required for rRT-PCR are provided using “master mixes,” which are widely available commercially (Applied Biosystems; ThermoFisher Scientific, etc.). Primers may be provided at a concentration of between 0.1 and 0.5 pM (5-25 pmol / per 50 pl reaction). Probe molecules may be provided at a concentration of between 0.05 and 0.25 pM (2.5-12.5 pmol / per 50 pl reaction).

[00178] The LIAISON® MDX device centrifuges the Direct Amplification Disc to thereby force a domain of the sample and reagents to be separately moved into reservoirs for a reaction chamber. The centrifugation moves any excess sample or reagents to a holding chamber. A laser within the LIAISON® MDX device then opens a first valve permitting the sample to flow into the reaction chamber. The chamber is then heated (for example to 95 °C); the high temperature and centrifugation serves to lyse cells that may be present in the sample. The laser within the LIAISON® MDX device then opens a second valve permitting reagents sample to flow into the reaction chamber and mix with the sample. The LIAISON® MDX device then commences to subject the reaction to PCR thermocycling. An internal control may be used to monitor successful instrument and sample processing and to detect RT-PCR failure and / or inhibition.

[00179] An internal control may be employed in order to confirm that the reaction conditions are suitable for target amplification and detection. A suitable internal control, for example, is one that amplifies MS2 phage sequences. A suitable Forward MS2 Phage Internal Control Primer has the sequence (SEQ ID NO: 13 tgctcgcggatacccg); a suitable Reverse MS2 Phage Internal Control Primer has the sequence (SEQ ID NO: 14 aacttgcgttctcgagcgat). Amplification mediated by such internal control primers may be detected using a TaqMan probe (MS2 Phage Internal Control Probe) having the sequence (SEQ ID NO: 15 acctcgggtttccgtcttgctcgt. Alternatively, other MS2 internal control primers may be employed (Dreier, J. et al. (2005) “Use of Bacteriophage MS2 as an Internal Control in Viral Reverse Transcription-PCR Assays,” J. Clin. Microbiol. 43(9):4551-4557). The probe may be labeled with the Quasar 670 fluorophore and complexed to the BHQ2 quencher, or with any other fluorophore and any quencher capable of quenching the fluorescence of such fluorophore.

[00180] The LIAISON MDX Software runs a pre-heating cycle to denature the SARS-CoV-2 viral coat protein and thereby release the SARS-CoV-2 RNA. This step is followed by reverse transcription and subsequent amplification. During the extension phase of the PCR cycle, the 5’ nuclease activity of DNA polymerase degrades any probe that has hybridized to amplified product in the reaction, thereby causing the fluorescent label of the probe to separate from the quencher of the probe. Such separation permits a fluorescent signal to be detected. With each cycle, additional fluorescent label molecules are cleaved from their respective probes, increasing the fluorescence intensity.

[00181] Reaction results are monitored and presented to users via LIAISON® MDX’s 5 software. Such software provides easy to understand results with the ability to check amplification curves after a run. The software also plots QC Charts and can be bidirectionally interfaced with LIS for easy integration into lab workflow. The LIAISON® MDX permit random access to individual samples, and thus allows users to start the analysis of new samples without waiting for previously-started analyses to complete. Assay results 10 can be obtained in one hour or less. Table 13 shows the Diagnostic Algorithm of the assay. Table 13 SARS-CoV-2 CT value (ORFlab Target) SARS-CoV-2 CT value (S Gene Target) RNA IC CT value Interpretation <40, *0 <40, *0 N / A SARS-CoV-2 RNA: Detected <40, *0 N / A N / A SARS-CoV-2 RNA: Detected N / A <40, *0 N / A SARS-CoV-2 RNA: Detected 0 0 <40, *0 SARS-CoV-2 RNA: Not Detected 0 0 0 Results Invalid Repeat Assay: If RNA IC is still 0 on repeat, test with a new sample if clinically warranted

[00182] Accordingly, if the ORF lab and the S gene CT values are both <40 for a patient specimen, the result is reported as “Detected” for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The internal 15 control is not applicable. If the ORF lab CT value is <40 and the S gene CT value is 0 for a patient specimen, the result is reported as “Detected” for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The internal control is not applicable. If the ORFlab CT value is 0 and the S gene CT value is <40 for a patient specimen, the result is reported as “Detected” for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The internal control is not applicable. If the ORFlab and the S gene CT values are both 0 for a patient specimen and the internal control CT is non-zero and <45, the result is reported 5 as “Not Detected” for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA. If the ORFlab and the S gene CT values are both 0 for a patient specimen and the internal control CT is also 0, the result is reported as “Invalid.” This specimen should be re-assayed. If the internal control is still 0 for the repeated assay, the test should be repeated with a new sample, if clinically warranted. 10          VI. Kits

[00183] The invention additionally includes kits for conducting the above-described assays. In one embodiment, such kits will include one or more containers containing reagents for specifically detecting the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab (e.g., a Forward ORFlab Primer, a Reverse ORFlab Primer, and an ORFlab Probe, that is preferably detectably labelled) and 15 instructions for the use of such reagents to detect SARS-CoV-2. Such kits may comprise a Variant Forward ORFlab Primer, a Variant Reverse ORFlab Primer, and / or a Variant ORFlab Probe. Most preferably, such kits will comprise the above-described preferred ORFlab Forward Primer, the above-described preferred ORFlab Reverse Primer and the above-described preferred ORFlab Probe. 20

[00184] In a second embodiment, such kits will include one or more containers containing reagents for specifically detecting the SARS-CoV-2 S gene (e.g., a Forward S Gene Primer, a Reverse S Gene Primer, and an S Gene Probe, that is preferably detectably labelled) and instructions for the use of such reagents to detect SARS-CoV-2. Such kits may comprise a 25 Variant Forward S Gene Primer, a Variant Reverse S Gene Primer, and / or a Variant S Gene Probe. Most preferably, such kits will comprise the above-described preferred S Gene Forward Primer, the above-described preferred S Gene Reverse Primer, and the abovedescribed preferred S Gene Probe. 30

[00185] In a third embodiment, such kits will include one or more containers containing reagents for specifically detecting both the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab and the SARS-CoV-2 S gene (e.g., a Forward ORFlab Primer, a Reverse ORFlab Primer, an ORFlab Probe, a Forward S Gene Primer, a Reverse S Gene Primer, and an S Gene Probe) and instructions for the use of such reagents to detect SARS-CoV-2, and will most preferably comprise the above-described preferred ORF lab Forward Primer, the above-described preferred ORF lab Reverse Primer, the above-described preferred ORF lab Probe, the above-described preferred S Gene Forward Primer, the above-described preferred S Gene Reverse Primer and the above-described preferred S Gene Probe.

[00186] The containers of such kits will be vials, tubes, etc. and the reagents may be in liquid form or may be lyophilized. Alternatively, such containers will be a multi-chambered, fluidic device that is capable of processing the amplification of such primers. For example, the kits of the present invention may be a Direct Amplification Disc (US Patent No. 9,067,205) that has been preloaded with reagents for amplifying the above-described SARS-CoV-2 gene sequences. VII. Embodiments of the Invention

[00187] Having now generally described the invention, the same will be more readily understood through reference to the following numbered Embodiments (“E”), which are provided by way of illustration and are not intended to be limiting of the present invention unless specified: El.           A detectably labeled oligonucleotide that is capable of specifically hybridizing to a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence that consists of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8. E2.           The detectably labeled oligonucleotide of El, wherein the oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence that consists of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4. E3.           The detectably labeled oligonucleotide of El, wherein the oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an E4. E5. E6. E7. E8. E9. oligonucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence that consists of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8. A kit for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a clinical sample, wherein the kit comprises a detectably labeled oligonucleotide that is capable of specifically hybridizing to a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8. The kit of E4, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and wherein the kit permits a determination of the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab in a clinical sample. The kit of E4, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and wherein the kit permits a determination of the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene in a clinical sample. The kit of E4, wherein the kit comprises two detectably labeled oligonucleotides, wherein the detectable labels of the oligonucleotides are distinguishable, and wherein one of the two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and the second of the two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8. The kit of any one of E7, wherein the distinguishable detectable labels of the oligonucleotides are fluorescent labels. The kit of any one E4-E8, wherein at least one of the detectably labeled oligonucleotides is a TaqMan probe, a molecular beacon probe, a scorpion primer-probe probe or a HyBeacon™ probe. 2021246903  28 Oct 2022 E10. The kit of any one of E4 or E6-E9, wherein the kit permits the detection of the D614G polymorphism of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2. E11. The kit of any one of E4-E10, wherein the kit is a multi-chambered, fluidic device. 5   E12. The kit of any one of E4-E11, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is fluorescently labeled. E13. A method for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a clinical sample, wherein the method comprises incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of a detectably labeled oligonucleotide that is capable of specifically 10 hybridizing to a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8; wherein the method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the clinical sample by 15 detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and / or SARS-CoV-2 S gene. E14. The method of E13, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or 20 SEQ ID NO:4, and wherein the method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the clinical sample by detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab. E15. The method of E14, wherein the method comprises a PCR amplification of the SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide. E16. The method of any one of E14-E15, wherein the detectably labeled 25 oligonucleotide is a TaqMan probe. E17. The method of E16, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a TaqMan ORF1ab Probe, and wherein the method comprises: (I)     incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1)    a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase that has a 30 5’^3’ exonuclease activity; (2)    a Forward (or sense strand) ORF1ab Primer; (3)    a Reverse (or antisense strand) ORF1ab Primer; and (4) the TaqMan ORF lab Probe, wherein such probe is capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse ORflab Primers, wherein the TaqMan ORF lab Probe comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, and has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, wherein the 5’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is labeled with a fluorophore and the 3’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher of such fluorophore. wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse ORF lab Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the TaqMan ORF lab Probe to hybridize to amplified ORF lab oligonucleotide molecules; and (c) the 5’—>3’ exonuclease activity to hydrolyze hybridized TaqMan ORF lab Probe, to thereby separate the fluorophore thereof from the quencher thereof and cause a fluorescent signal to become detectable; and (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable. E18.         The method of any one of claims E14-E15, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a molecular beacon probe. E19.         The method of E18, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe, and wherein the method comprises: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) ORFlab Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) ORFlab Primer; and (4) the Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe, wherein such probe is capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers, wherein the Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe comprises a SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide domain that is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and another of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectable label, wherein the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide domain of the Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166; wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the Molecular Beacon ORFlab Probe to hybridize to amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules, thereby separating the fluorophore thereof from the quencher thereof and causing a fluorescent signal to become detectable; and (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable. E20.         The method of any of E14-E15, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a scorpion primer-probe. E21.         The method of E20, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is an ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe, and wherein the method comprises: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) ORFlab Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) ORFlab Primer; and (4) the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe, wherein such probe is capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers, wherein the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and the other of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectably label, and wherein such 3’ oligonucleotide further comprises a polymerization blocking moiety, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide positioned 3’ from the blocking moiety, wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs: 147-166; and wherein the PCR primer polynucleotide is selected so that it is capable of hybridizing to a region of ORF lab that is approximately 7 bases, 8 bases, 9 bases, 10 bases, or more preferably 11 bases upstream of an ORFlab sequence that is the same as the sequence of the probe’s ORFlab polynucleotide domain (or differs from such sequence by 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 nucleotide residues), such that extension of the PCR primer polynucleotide domain of the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe forms an extension product whose sequence is complementary to the probe’s ORFlab polynucleotide domain; wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the ORFlab of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe to hybridize to amplified ORFlab oligonucleotide molecules and be extended to form a domain that is complementary to the sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe, such that, upon denaturation, the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the ORFlab Scorpion PrimerProbe hybridizes to the extended domain of the ORFlab Scorpion Primer-Probe, and thereby prevents the complementary 5’ oligonucleotide and 3’ oligonucleotide E22. E23. E24. E25. E26. E27. domains of the probe from re-hybridizing to one another and attenuating the quenching of the detectable label; (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable. The method of any of E17, E19, or E21, wherein the Forward (or sense strand) ORF lab Primer is an oligonucleotide having a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:1 or any of SEQ ID NOs:17-28. The method of any of E17, E19, or E22, wherein the Reverse (or antisense strand) ORF lab Primer is an oligonucleotide having a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:2 or any of SEQ ID NOs:29-42. The method of E13, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide has a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and wherein the method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the clinical sample by detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 S gene. The method of E24, wherein the method comprises a PCR amplification of the SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide. The method of E25, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a TaqMan probe. The method of E26, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a TaqMan S Gene Probe, and wherein the method comprises: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase that has a 5’—>3’ exonuclease activity; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) S Gene Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) S Gene Primer; and (4) a TaqMan S Gene Probe capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 S Gene oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse E28. E29. S Gene Primers, wherein the TaqMan S Gene Probe comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, and has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide portion whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein the 5’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is labeled with a fluorophore and the 3’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher of such fluorophore. wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the TaqMan S Gene Probe to hybridize to amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules; and (c) the 5’—>3’ exonuclease activity to hydrolyze hybridized TaqMan S Gene Probe, to thereby separate the fluorophore thereof from the quencher thereof and cause a fluorescent signal to become detectable; and (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable. The method of any one of E24-E25, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a molecular beacon probe. The method of E28, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe, and wherein the method comprises: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) S Gene Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) S Gene Primer; and (4) the Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe, wherein such probe is capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers, wherein the Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe comprises a SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotide portion that is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and another of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectable label, wherein the SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotide portion of the Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381; wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the S Gene of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the Molecular Beacon S Gene Probe to hybridize to amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules, thereby separating the fluorophore thereof from the quencher thereof and causing a fluorescent signal to become detectable; and (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable. E30.         The method of any one of E24-E25, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a scorpion primer-probe. E31.         The method of E30, wherein the detectably labeled oligonucleotide is an S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe, and wherein the method comprises: (I) incubating the clinical sample in vitro in the presence of: (1) a reverse transcriptase and a DNA polymerase; (2) a Forward (or sense strand) S Gene Primer; (3) a Reverse (or antisense strand) S Gene Primer; and (4) the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe, wherein such probe is capable of detecting the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 S gene oligonucleotide that is amplified by conducting PCR in the presence of such Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers, wherein the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and the other of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectably label, and wherein such 3’ oligonucleotide further comprises a polymerization blocking moiety, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide positioned 3’ from the blocking moiety, wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381; and wherein the PCR primer polynucleotide is selected so that it is capable of hybridizing to a region of S gene that is approximately 7 bases, 8 bases, 9 bases, 10 bases, or more preferably 11 bases upstream of an S gene sequence that is the same as the sequence of the probe’s S gene oligonucleotide domain (or differs from such sequence by 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 nucleotide residues), such that extension of the PCR primer polynucleotide domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe forms an extension product whose sequence is complementary to the probe’s S Gene polynucleotide domain; wherein the incubation is in a reaction under conditions sufficient to permit: (a) the Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers to mediate a polymerase chain reaction amplification of a region of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2 to thereby produce amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules, if the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample; (b) the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe to hybridize to amplified S gene oligonucleotide molecules and be extended to form a domain that is complementary to the sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe, such that, upon denaturation, the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe hybridizes to the extended domain of the S Gene Scorpion Primer-Probe, and thereby prevents the complementary 5’ oligonucleotide and 3’ oligonucleotide domains of the probe from re-hybridizing to one another and attenuating the quenching of the detectable label; (II) determining whether the SARS-CoV-2 is present in the clinical sample by determining whether a fluorescent signal of the fluorophore has become detectable. E32. The method of any of E27, E29, or E31, wherein the Forward (or sense strand) S Gene Primer is an oligonucleotide having a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:5 or any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, or any 5 of SEQ ID NOs:71-84. E33. The method of any of E27, E29, E31, or E32, wherein the Reverse (or antisense strand) S Gene Primer is an oligonucleotide having a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:6, or any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, 10 or any of SEQ ID NOs: 113-126. E34. The method of any one of E24-E33, wherein the method detects the presence or absence of the D614G polymorphism of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2. E35. The method of any one of E34, wherein the method employs a TaqMan probe, a molecular beacon probe, a scorpion primer-probe or a HyBeacon™ 15 probe that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide portion whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363. E36. The method of E13, wherein the method comprises a LAMP amplification of 20 the SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide. E37. The method of E13-E36, wherein the method employs a fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide. E38. An oligonucleotide that comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, wherein the oligonucleotide has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that has a 25 nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO: 12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 17-42, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ 30 ID NOs:71-84, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs: 113-126, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, any of SEQ ID NOs:398-402, any of SEQ ID N0s:403-406, SEQ ID NO:411, or SEQ ID NO:412. E39. An oligonucleotide, wherein the oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, wherein the oligonucleotide has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that consists essentially of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, any of SEQ ID N0s:403-406, SEQ ID NO:411, or SEQ ID NO:412. E40. An oligonucleotide, wherein the oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, wherein the oligonucleotide has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that consists essentially of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, or SEQ ID NO:10. E41 An oligonucleotide, wherein the oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and comprises a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, wherein the oligonucleotide has a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain that consists essentially of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ ID NO:12. E42. A TaqMan probe capable of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, wherein the probe comprises an oligonucleotide, having a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein the 5’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is labeled with a fluorophore and the 3’ terminus of the oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher of such fluorophore. E43. A TaqMan probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166. E44. A TaqMan probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO: 11, SEQ ID NO: 12, any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381. E45. A TaqMan probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363. E46. A molecular beacon probe capable of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, wherein the probe comprises an oligonucleotide, having a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein such a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and another of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectable label. E47. A molecular beacon probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166. E48.         A molecular beacon probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381. E49.         A molecular beacon probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363. E50.         A scorpion primer-probe capable of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, wherein the probe comprises an oligonucleotide, having a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein such a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain is flanked by a 5’ oligonucleotide and a 3’ oligonucleotide, wherein such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide are at least substantially complementary to one another, and wherein at least one of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is detectably labeled and the other of such 5’ oligonucleotide and such 3’ oligonucleotide is complexed to a quencher or an acceptor of such detectably label, and wherein such 3’ oligonucleotide further comprises a polymerization blocking moiety, and a PCR primer oligonucleotide positioned 3’ from the blocking moiety. E51. A scorpion primer-probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 ORFlab, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, any of SEQ ID NOs: 127-146, or any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166. E52. A scorpion primer-probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, or any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381. E53. A scorpion primer-probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs: 167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363. E54. A scorpion primer-probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the PCR primer oligonucleotide has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, or any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112. E55. A HyBeacon™ probe capable of detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, wherein such probe comprises an oligonucleotide, having a 5’ terminus and a 3’ terminus, that comprises a SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain whose nucleotide sequence consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO:11, SEQ ID NO:12, any of SEQ ID NOs:127-146, any of SEQ ID NOs:147-166, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, any of SEQ ID NOs:253-272, any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363, any of SEQ ID NOs:364-381, wherein at least one nucleotide residue of such SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain is detectably labeled. E56. A HyBeacon™ probe, wherein the probe is capable of detecting a polymorphism in the SARS-CoV-2 S gene, and wherein the SARS-CoV-2 oligonucleotide domain of the probe has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide 5 sequence of: any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs:167-252, or any of SEQ ID NOs:273-363. E57. The oligonucleotide of any of E39-E41, the TaqMan probe of any of E42-E45, the molecular beacon probe of any of E46-E49, the scorpion primerprobe of any of E50-E54, or the HyBeacon ™ probe of any of E55-E56, 10 wherein the detectable label is a fluorophore that has an excitation wavelength within the range of about 352-690 nm and an emission wavelength that is within the range of about 447-705 nm. E58. The oligonucleotide, TaqMan probe, molecular beacon probe, scorpion primer-probe, or HyBeacon ™ probe of E57, wherein the fluorophore is JOE 15 or FAM. E59. An oligonucleotide primer capable of amplifying an oligonucleotide portion of a SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide present in a sample, wherein such oligonucleotide primer has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: any 20 of: SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2, SEQ ID NO:5, SEQ ID NO:6, any of SEQ ID NOs: 17-28, any of SEQ ID NOs:29-42, any of SEQ ID NOs:43-70, any of SEQ ID NOs:71-84, any of SEQ ID NOs:85-112, any of SEQ ID NOs:113-126, or any of SEQ ID NOs:398-410. E60. An oligonucleotide that has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists 25 essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4. E61. An oligonucleotide that has a nucleotide sequence that consists of, consists essentially of, comprises, or is a variant of, the nucleotide sequence of: SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8. EXAMPLES

[00188] Having now generally described the invention, the same will be more readily understood through reference to the following examples, which are provided by way of illustration and are not intended to be limiting of the present invention unless specified. Example 1 Design of the Preferred Primers and Probes

[00189] Two sets of primers and probes were designed for the specific detection of SARS-CoV-2. Each primer / probe set on its own has been shown to provide sensitive and specific detection of SARS-CoV-2 with no detection or cross-reactivity to other coronaviruses. The SARS-CoV-2 Reference Sequence (NC_045512.2; Wuhan seafood market pneumonia virus isolate Wuhan-Hu-1, complete genome) was used to design such primers and probes.

[00190] The genome alignment of Co Vs shows 58% identity of non-structural proteincoding region and 43% identity of structural proteins-coding region among different coronaviruses, with 54% identity at the whole genome level. This suggests that the non-structural proteins are more conserved and that the structural proteins exhibit greater diversity to fit their different environments (Chen, Y, et al. (2020) “Emerging Coronaviruses: Genome Structure, Replication, And Pathogenesis,” J. Med. Virol. 92:418423).

[00191] An analysis was conducted comparing the sequence of SARS-CoV-2 to the sequences of six other CoVs that can infect humans and cause respiratory diseases, in order to select a region that would be able to detect and specifically discriminate SARS-CoV-2 from such other CoVs. The analysis focused on genomic regions coding for structural proteins that are unique to this virus (Ji, W. et al. (2020) “Cross-Species Transmission Of The Newly Identified Coronavirus 2019-nCoV,” J Med. Virol. 92:433-440). However, since it is possible that such regions might frequently recombine, in parallel, primers were designed against genomic regions coding for non-structural proteins.

[00192] Regarding the selection of the S gene, the SARS-CoV-2 may be generated by a homologous recombination within a region spanning between position 21500 and 24000 (2500 bp), which covers most of the S gene sequence (Chen, Y, et al. (2020) “Emerging Coronaviruses: Genome Structure, Replication, And Pathogenesis,” J. Med. Virol. 92:418423). In particular, inside the 2500 bp region, Chen, Y, et al. (2020) identified a unique sequence corresponding to the first 783 nucleotides at the 5’ end of the S gene. BLAST analysis of a 783 nucleotide fragment provided no match with any sequence present in NCBI database, apart from the Wuhan seafood market pneumonia virus isolate Wuhan-Hu-14.

[00193] Regarding the selection of the ORFlab sequence, the SARS-CoV-2 has a characteristic non-structural protein-coding region, covering about two-thirds of its genome length, and encoding 16 non-structural proteins (nspl-16); the sequence shows 58% identity to the sequences of other CoVs (Chen, Y, et al. (2020) “Emerging Coronaviruses: Genome Structure, Replication, And Pathogenesis,” J. Med. Virol. 92:418-423). This approximately 20 kb region was chosen for the design of different primer sets specific for SARS-CoV-2.

[00194] All primer sets designed to target ORFlab and the S gene have been tested on the SARS-CoV2 complete genome sequences available in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database, using Geneious Prime software. Sequences were mapped to the Reference Sequence of SARS-CoV-2 (NC_045512.2), and the identified primers and probes were tested against the consensus. The analysis showed that all regions recognized by the identified primers and probes have a homology of 100% with all available SARS-CoV-2 sequences.

[00195] In addition to verifying the specificity of the design, the sequences of the six CoVs that can infect humans causing respiratory diseases (i.e., HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, HKU1, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV) were examined. The accession numbers for such sequences are: NC_002645.1 (Human coronavirus 229E); NC_006213.1 (Human coronavirus OC43 strain ATCC VR-759); NC_005831.2 (Human Coronavirus NL63), NC_006577.2 (Human coronavirus HKU1), NC_004718.3 (SARS-coronavirus), and NC_019843.3 (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus).

[00196] The sequences of the above-described preferred Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers (SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:2, respectively), the above-described preferred Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers (SEQ ID NO:5 and SEQ ID NO:6, respectively), the above-described preferred ORFlab Probe (SEQ ID NO:9) and the above-described preferred S Gene Probe (SEQ ID NO: 11) were identified through such an analysis. 5                                   Example 2 Specificity of the SARS-CoV-2 Assay

[00197] Upon in silico analysis, a SIMPLEXA® SARS-CoV-2 Direct assay using the above-described preferred Forward and Reverse ORFlab and S Gene Primers and the abovedescribed preferred ORFlab and S Gene Probes were found to detect all SARS-CoV-2 virus 10 strains and to exhibit no cross-reactivity with non-SARS-CoV-2 species.

[00198] In addition to the in silico analysis, an in vitro analysis of specificity was performed. The results of the in vitro specimen testing are presented in Table 14. Table 14 Organism Tested Concentration Qualitative % Detection (# Detected / # Tested) S Gene (FAM) ORFlab (JOE) Internal Control (Q670) Adenovirus 1 1 x 105 U / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Bordetella pertussis 1 x 106 CFU / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Chlamydophila pneumoniae 1 x 106 IFU / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Coronavirus 229E 1 x 105 TCID5o / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Coronavirus NL63 1 x 105 U / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Coronavirus OC43 1 x 105 TCID5o / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Enterovirus 68 1 x 105 TCID5o / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Haemophilus influenzae 1 x 106 CFU / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Human metapneumovirus (hMPV-9) 1 x 105 TCID50 / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Table 14 Organism Tested Concentration Qualitative % Detection (# Detected / # Tested) S Gene (FAM) ORFlab (JOE) Internal Control (Q670) Influenza A H3N2 Hong Kong 8 / 68 1 x 105 TCID5o / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Influenza B Phuket 3073 / 2013 1 x 105 TCID5o / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Legionella pneumophilia 1 x 106 CFU / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) MERS Coronavirus (Extracted RNA) 1:3 dilution 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Genomic DNA) 1 x 106 copies / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Parainfluenza Type 1 1 x 105 U / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Parainfluenza Type 2 1 x 105 U / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Parainfluenza Type 3 1 x 105 TCID50 / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Parainfluenza Type 4A 1 x 105 U / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Rhino virus B14 1 x 105 U / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) RSV A Long 1 x 105 TCID50 / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) RSV B Washington 1 x 105 TCID50 / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) SARS-Coronavirus (Purified RNA) 1 x 105 copies / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) SARS-Coronavirus HKU39849 (Extracted RNA) 1:10 dilution 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Streptococcus pneumoniae 1 x 106 CFU / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Streptococcus pyogenes 1 x 106 CFU / mL 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3) Human leukocytes 1 x 106 cells / mL 0% 0% 100% Table 14 Organism Tested Concentration Qualitative % Detection (# Detected / # Tested) S Gene (FAM) ORFlab (JOE) Internal Control (Q670) (human genomic DNA) (0 / 3) (0 / 3) (3 / 3) Pooled Human Nasal Fluid 1:5 dilution 0% (0 / 3) 0% (0 / 3) 100% (3 / 3)

[00199] The assay was also found to demonstrate 100% specificity on a negative matrix (Universal Transport Medium (UTM); Copan Diagnostics). No not-specific signals were observed.

[00200] In conclusion, the above-described preferred Forward and Reverse ORFlab Primers and the above-described preferred ORFlab Probe were found to be capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2 without exhibiting cross-reactivity to human DNA, or to DNA (or cDNA) of other pathogens. Additionally, the above-described preferred Forward and Reverse S Gene Primers and the above-described preferred S Gene Probe were found to be capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2 without exhibiting cross-reactivity to human DNA, or to DNA (or cDNA) of other pathogens. The assay is thus specific for SARS-CoV-2.

[00201] The observation that the assay of the present invention reports the detection of SARS-CoV-2 when only one of such sets of primers and probes is employed (i.e., either a probe and primer set that targets ORFlab or a probe and primer set that targets the S gene) indicates that by using both such sets of probes and primers, one can increase assay sensitivity in cases of low viral loads and that the accuracy of the assay will not be jeopardized by any point mutation which may occur during COVID-19 spread across the population.

[00202] To demonstrate the improvement in assay sensitivity obtained using both sets of preferred primers and probes, a preparation of SARS-CoV2 viral particles (from isolate 2019nCoV / italy-INMIl) in an oral swab-UTM matrix was tested at doses ranging from 10’ 5 to 10'8 TCID.WmL. As reported in Table 15 and Table 16, relative to the detection of either ORFlab sequences or S gene sequences, the use of both sets of preferred primers and probes was found to increase the sensitivity of the assay, achieving the detection of the 10'8 TCIDWmL dose instead of 10'7 TCIDso / mL. Table 15 Samples ORFlab Target S Gene Target Result Reps TCIDso / mL Copies / mL 1-40 IO'7 4000 Detected Detected Positive 1-3 10'8 400 Detected Detected Positive 4 Detected Not Detected Positive 5 Not Detected Detected Positive 6 Not Detected Not Detected Negative 7 Detected Detected Positive 8 Not Detected Detected Positive 9 Detected Detected Positive 10 Not Detected Not Detected Negative 11 Detected Not Detected Positive 12-13 Detected Detected Positive 14 Not Detected Detected Positive 15-18 Detected Detected Positive 19 Not Detected Not Detected Negative 5

[00203] The results obtained at 10'8 TCIDWmL (400 copies / mL) are summarized in Table 16. Table 16 (Assay Detection Capability at 400 Viral RNA Copies / mL) ORFlab S Gene ORFlab and S Gene Number of Replicates Detected 13 / 19 14 / 19 16 / 19 Percentage of Detection 68% 73.7% 84.2%

[00204] The data used in Table 16 was based on a viral dose of 10'8 TCIDso / mL (400 copies / mL). When the samples contained 500 viral RNA copies / mL, the assays of the present invention exhibited a 100% ability to detect SARS-CoV-2 (Table 17). Table 17 (Assay Detection Capability at 500 Viral RNA Copies / mL) ORFlab S Gene ORFlab and S Gene Number of Replicates Detected 34 / 47 46 / 48 48 / 48 Percentage of Detection 72.3% 95.8% 100%

[00205] This level of sensitivity (determined with genomic viral RNA) reflects the type of results one would obtain using clinical samples containing SARS-CoV-2. The assays of the present invention thus will provide healthcare workers with analytical indications that will enable them to better interpret the results of the assay in clinical practice. Example 3 Diagnostic Accuracy of the SARS-CoV-2 Assay

[00206] In a comparison between the methods of the present invention and the reference method of Corman, V.M. etal. (2020) (“Detection Of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) By Real-Time RT-PCR,” Eurosurveill. 25(3):2000045), the lower limit of detection (LoD) for both target genes was found to be the same: 3.2 (CI: 2.9-3.8) log 10 cp / mL and 0.40 (CI: 0.2-1.5) TCID5o / mL for S gene while 3.2 loglO (CI: 2.9-3.7) loglO cp / mL and 0.4 (CI: 0.21.3) TCIDso / mL for ORFlab. The LoD obtained with extracted viral RNA for both S gene or ORFlab was 2.7 loglO cp / mL. Crossreactive analysis performed in 20 nasopharyngeal swabs confirmed a 100% of clinical specificity of the assay. Clinical performances of the SIMPLEXA® COVID-19 Direct assay were assessed in 278 nasopharyngeal swabs tested in parallel with Corman's method. Concordance analysis showed an "almost perfect" agreement in SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection between the two assays, being k = 0.938; SE = 0.021; 95% CI = 0.896-0.980, with the SIMPLEXA® COVID-19 Direct assay showing a slightly higher sensitivity relative to the reference Corman's method, identifying nearly 3% additional positive samples, and detecting SARS-CoV-2 in BAL samples that had been found to give invalid results with the reference method (Bordi, L. et al. (2020) “Rapid And Sensitive Detection OfSARS-Cov-2 RNA Using The SIMPLEXA® COVID-19 Direct Assay,” J. Clin. Virol. 128:104416:1-5).

[00207] The methods of the present invention were found to have the lowest LoD (39 ± 23 copies / ml) in a comparative study of different SARS-CoV-2 assays (Zhen, W. et al. (2020) “Comparison of Four Molecular In Vitro Diagnostic Assays for the Detection ofSARS-CoV-2 in Nasopharyngeal Specimens,” J. Clin. Microbiol. 58(8):e00743-20:l-8).

[00208] Similar findings that the methods of the present invention were more sensitive than other laboratory tests for SARS-CoV-2 have been reported by other research groups (Lieberman, J.A. et al. (2020) “Comparison of Commercially Available and Laboratory-Developed Assays for In Vitro Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Clinical Laboratories,” J. Clin. Microbiol. 58(8):e00821-20:l-6; Rhoads, D.D. et al. (2020) “Comparison Of Abbott ID NOV / ™, DiaSorin SIMPLEXA®, And CDC FDA Emergency Use Authorization Methods For The Detection Of SARS-CoV-2 From Nasopharyngeal And Nasal Swabs From Individuals Diagnosed With COVID-19,” J. Clin. Microbiol. 58(8):e00760-20:l-2).

[00209] Cradic, K. etal. (2020) {“Clinical Evaluation and Utilization of Multiple Molecular In Vitro Diagnostic Assays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2,” Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 154(2):201-207) found that the methods of the present invention were more sensitive than the Abbott ID NOW™ test, and as sensitive as the Roche COBAS® SARS-CoV-2 assay, despite not requiring sample processing steps of the Roche COBAS® assay or the Roche COBAS® assay’s larger sample volume.

[00210] Fung, B. et. al. (2020) {“Direct Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Analytical Limits of Detection across Seven Molecular Assays,” J. Clin. Microbiol. 58(9):e01535-20:) found that the Roche COBAS® assay was more sensitive than the assays of the present invention, but required more time to produce diagnostic results; the study did not evaluate the impact of specimen matrix on the ability to detect virus or compatibility with different media types. 2021246903   09 Jun 2026

[00211] Liotti, F.M. et al. (2020) (“Evaluation Of Three Commercial Assays For SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Detection In Upper Respiratory Tract Samples,” Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 10.1007 / s10096-020-04025-0:1-9), likewise found that the methods of the present invention provided an accurate diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2. 5

[00212] All publications and patents mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety. While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be 10 understood that it is capable of further modifications and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth. 15

[00213] A reference herein to a patent document or other matter which is given as prior art is not to be taken as admission that the document or matter was known or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims. 20

[00214] Unless the context requires otherwise, where the terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprised” or “comprising” are used in this specification (including the claims) they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but not precluding the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, 25 or group thereof.

Claims

Claim 1. A kit for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a clinical sample, wherein said kit comprises two detectably labeled oligonucleotides, wherein the detectable labels of said oligonucleotides are distinguishable, and wherein one of said two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and the second of said two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8, and wherein said kit permits a determination of the presence or absence of both SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and SARS-CoV-2 S gene in said clinical sample. Claim 2. The kit of claim 1, wherein at least one of said detectably labeled oligonucleotides is a TaqMan probe, a molecular beacon probe, a scorpion primer-probe probe or a HyBeacon™ probe. Claim 3. The kit of claim 1, wherein the distinguishable detectable labels of said oligonucleotides are fluorescent labels. Claim 4. The kit of claim 1, wherein said kit permits the detection of the D614G polymorphism of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2. Claim 5. The kit of claim 1, wherein said kit is a multi-chambered, fluidic device. Claim 6. A method for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a clinical sample, wherein said method comprises incubating said clinical sample in the presence of two detectably labeled oligonucleotides, wherein the detectable labels of said oligonucleotides are distinguishable, and wherein one of said two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that2021246903   09 Jun 2026is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, and the second of said two detectably labeled oligonucleotides comprises a nucleotide sequence that is able to specifically hybridize to an oligonucleotide consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8; wherein said method detects the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in said clinical sample by detecting the presence of both SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and SARS-CoV-2 S gene. Claim 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said method detects the presence or absence of the D614G polymorphism of the S gene of SARS-CoV-2. Claim 8. The method of claim 6, wherein said method comprises a PCR amplification of said SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide. Claim 9. The method of claim 6, wherein said detectably labeled oligonucleotide is a TaqMan probe, a molecular beacon probe, a scorpion primer-probe, or a HyBeacon probe. Claim 10. The method of claim 6, wherein said method comprises a LAMP amplification of said SARS-CoV-2 polynucleotide. Claim 11. The method of claim 6, wherein the distinguishable detectable labels of said oligonucleotides are fluorescent labels .

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