KIMS faces shortage of RAT kits

HUBBALLI: Non-availability of rapid antigen test (RAT) kits, mostly due to erratic supply, has affected emergency diagnosis of Covid-19 cases in Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital, Hubballi. No rapid test has been conducted at KIMS in the the past few days due to the kit shortage, confirmed an insider.
People are forced to stay in wards meant for suspect cases at least for more than a day, awaiting the result of the slower RT-PCR test. The family of a 65-year-old diabetic, who died in KIMS on Saturday, claimed that had RAT been conducted on him, he would have survived. KIMS director Dr Ramalingappa Antartani said the hospital received 1,000 kits on Sunday.