Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday ordered to reduce the rates of RT-PCR tests, the most reliable diagnosis to detect the presence of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) .
“I have ordered the RT-PCR test rates in Delhi to be reduced. Although the tests are done free of charge in government establishments, this will help those who get tested in private laboratories, ”he wrote on Twitter.
Kejriwal, however, did not mention details of the revised price category and when they will take effect.
The government had previously capped the price of all Covid-19 tests, whether from a government or private center, in Delhi at 2,400 rupees. The decision was made at a DDMA meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, attended by Kejriwal, Senior Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia, Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot and other senior officials from the Delhi Police, Administration and the Institute. of Indian Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Before the 2,400 rupee limit, the cost of a Covid-19 test was 4,500 rupees if private laboratories collected the sample and used their own kits, 3,500 rupees if the government collected the samples and private laboratories used their kits to test it; and Rs 2,200 if the government collected the sample and also provided the test kit. While the government paid these charges to private laboratories, Delhi residents were charged a flat fee of Rs 4,500.
The decision to further reduce the test comes at a time when the national capital registers just under 5,000 infections a day. On Sunday, Delhi recorded 4,906 new cases of Covid-19, the second day in a row the city recorded fewer than 5,000 infections, despite conducting more than 64,000 tests, indicating the third and most acute wave of the disease in the Capital could have a tendency towards a decrease.
In addition, under the revised policy, district administrations, within containment zones, are expected to perform RT-PCR testing on all residents over 60 years of age, pregnant women, and people with comorbidities, regardless of symptoms or direct contact. with active cases, according to senior government officials familiar with the new policy.
.
