[ad_1]
In an attempt to increase the COVID-19 testing in the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research (icmr), which now allows all states to begin using rapid antigen testing. Known as the Standard of Q COVID-19 Ag kit antigen screening test does not require any specialized knowledge of the machine. It can show results within 30 minutes and “can be interpreted with a naked eye”. The test antigen is a promising tool for the rapid diagnosis of coronavirus infection in field settings, the icmr said.
The antigen test kit has been developed by a south Korean biotechnology firm SD Biosensor. Each team will have a cost of ₹450. “The test antigen has been found to have a very high specificity with moderate sensitivity,” the medical body said. (Icmr) and the indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have independently evaluated the efficiency of antigen test kit in the detection of infection by the coronavirus.
Delhi has already used rapid antigen test kits last week to detect any cases of coronavirus in the containment areas. The icmr encourage or condone the use of antigen kits along with the gold standard RT-PCR. The suspicion of individuals who test negative for COVID-19 by rapid antigen test must be proven by means of RT-PCR to rule out infection. While the positive results should be considered as true positive and do not require confirmation by RT-PCR of the test, said the apex body.
The icmr has now recommended the use of rapid antigen tests in all areas of containment and hospitals. According to the icmr, this test should be carried out in the following configurations:
1) All containment areas identified by the governments of the states
2) All central and state government medical colleges and government hospitals
3) All private hospitals, approved by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare (NABH).
4) All private laboratories accredited by National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL) and approved by icmr as COVID-19 testing laboratories.
The test kits must be used for all symptomatic persons with influenza-like illness in the containment of the areas or points of access, asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts with co-morbidities of the confirmed cases, the local object mentioned.
In the hospitals, the kits are to be used by all symptomatic of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) patients, asymptomatic patients who are hospitalized or seeking hospitalization for the chemo and the transplant, or those who have more than 65 years with co-morbidities.
All hospitals, laboratories, state governments, with the intention of performing the antigen test need to register with natives in order to obtain the logon credentials for the data entry, the medical body said today. All test data must be entered in the icmr portal on a real time basis. The portal has been modified to include a component in the test antigens, icmr suggested.
The icmr also urged all the state governments, public and private institutions to take the necessary steps to increase the scale of testing for coronavirus of patients. “From the test, track and treat is the only way to prevent the spread of infection and save lives, it is imperative that the evidence must be widely available to all symptomatic individuals in every part of the country and follow-up of contacts of the mechanisms of containment of the infection are further strengthened,” he added.
.
[ad_2]
