J&K administration has requisitioned for 80000 rapid testing kits from central government to speed up COVID-19 screening in J&K at a mass level.
According to a top official of J&K Government who requested not to be named, the consignment was scheduled to be delivered today, but has been delayed reasons known to GOI.
The J&K Government had a week ago demanded these kits form the central government to spike up the testing in the UT.
“Only PPE masks and Sanitizers were received today,” an official privy to the development told .
The serological antibody blood test, which deliver results in 15 minutes, work on blood samples instead of nasal swabs and will tell whether a patient has ever been exposed to the novel virus, a doctor told about the working mechanism of rapid testing kits.
“This would be the first time India will use serology for the detection of disease. Similar tests have been widely conducted to check for influenza, human immunodeficiency virus and Zika,” he added.
The Indian Council of Medical Research had recommended the use of antibody rapid testing for COVID-19 in high containment zones on April 2. Notably, sometime back Indian Council for Medical Research in a circular had said that scores of companies, domestic and international, have queued up to provide rapid testing kits to India.
The ICMR had last month issued tenders for the procurement of 5 lakh antibody test kits.
ICMR has recommended starting rapid antibody-based blood test for COVID-19 in clusters (with containment zones), and in large migration gatherings or evacuees centres. It has recommended a RT-PCR test within seven days of illness for such patients and after seven days of illness, antibody tests should be conducted followed by RT-PCR.
“The antibody test tells us about the nature and level of immune response that an infected person has developed,” said K Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) was quoted in media.
A Srinagar based doctor said Individuals who tested negative must be confirmed by real-time PCR test, if warranted or home quarantined, and repeat the antibody test after 10 days and added that rapid test kits could speed up the screening process in case of Community spread of Covid19.
