NEW DELHI: The government has put rapid antibody tests used to test coronavirus in abeyance, three days after reports emerged that the tests produced huge variations in the accuracy of the results in different parts of the country. Immediately after variations being detected the Indian Council of Medical Research had asked states to stop using the kits which were recently distributed among states.
The tests using the rapid antibody test kits were started on Monday and on the first day a total of 72 people living in the containment zone of Nabi Karim in Central district were tested using the rapid antibody testing kits and all were tested negative. An official said that the tests were conducted at three locations – Nabi Karim, Hauz Qazi and Sadar Bazaar -- in central district before the order to stop the test was issued.
"The use of the kits has been put in abeyance. It is only after further orders from the centre that a decision will be taken. Till them the use of the kits will remain under suspension," said sources.
Delhi was given 42,000 such kits and it had planned to intensify the testing in the Covid-19 containment zones of the city whose number rose to 92 on Thursday. The government had planned to ramp up testing using the kits in the containment zones so that the coronavirus can be effectively contained and identified infected persons can be provided treatment. The rapid anti-body testing kits are used to detect if a person's immune system has Covid-19 or has recovered from it. The test can detect evidence of person’s exposure to the coronavirus in less than 30 minutes.
The number of Covid-19 patients rose to 2376 on Tuesday with 128 new cases being reported in the last 24 hours. While the rapid antibody tests would remain suspected the government will keep on conducting the tests using the existing methods of RT-PCR. However, the current test methods used for Covid-19 diagnostics takes more time to show the results.
The tests using the rapid antibody test kits were started on Monday and on the first day a total of 72 people living in the containment zone of Nabi Karim in Central district were tested using the rapid antibody testing kits and all were tested negative. An official said that the tests were conducted at three locations – Nabi Karim, Hauz Qazi and Sadar Bazaar -- in central district before the order to stop the test was issued.
"The use of the kits has been put in abeyance. It is only after further orders from the centre that a decision will be taken. Till them the use of the kits will remain under suspension," said sources.
Delhi was given 42,000 such kits and it had planned to intensify the testing in the Covid-19 containment zones of the city whose number rose to 92 on Thursday. The government had planned to ramp up testing using the kits in the containment zones so that the coronavirus can be effectively contained and identified infected persons can be provided treatment. The rapid anti-body testing kits are used to detect if a person's immune system has Covid-19 or has recovered from it. The test can detect evidence of person’s exposure to the coronavirus in less than 30 minutes.
The number of Covid-19 patients rose to 2376 on Tuesday with 128 new cases being reported in the last 24 hours. While the rapid antibody tests would remain suspected the government will keep on conducting the tests using the existing methods of RT-PCR. However, the current test methods used for Covid-19 diagnostics takes more time to show the results.
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