Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune coronavirus LIVE updates: Covid-19 testing at a municipal dispensary in Nimoni Baug in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Maharashtra, Mumbai and Pune coronavirus LIVE updates
Currently, of the 90,000 daily tests performed by Maharashtra, RT-PCR contributes to two thirds (50,000) and rapid antigen tests account for one third. The state plans to increase from 90,000 to 1.50 lakh of tests per day in a few days. For that, half of the tests will have to be of rapid antigen since the capacity for RT-PCR is 80,000 in 166 laboratories.
The shortage of test kits has also put pressure on RT-PCR testing in several districts. At Beed, which can test 1,200 samples per day, a shortage of kits has forced the district to test just 200 samples per day and rely on rapid antigen for the remaining samples. “The shortage has been since the last 20 days. ICMR is slowly stopping the supply of kits and the state is procuring on its own. We have requested kits from state authorities, “said a district health official.
However, Medical Education Secretary Saurabh Vijay said the state has shares for a month. “There is no shortage of test kits. If one district exceeds its capacity, samples can be sent to the adjoining district. We have asked the labs to have a 24-hour response time for the report, ”he said.
RT-PCR is considered the gold standard for testing for Covid-19, while the antigen test has a higher chance of false negatives even if a person is positive for Covid-19. If a symptomatic person tests negative for Covid-19 via rapid antigen, an RT-PCR is recommended, but in several cases a second test is not performed. Inspired by Karnataka, the public health department has issued a notification to take two swabs instead of one from symptomatic patients and process them for RT-PCR immediately if the antigen test comes out negative.
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