India, has been reporting under three lakh daily cases for the last four days, is the second worst-hit country after the US. Although the positivity rate has now dropped to 12.58 percent in the country, the fear still remains intact. India reported 2.59 lakh new Covid cases, taking its tally to 2.6 crore. The death count rose to 2,91,331 after 4,209 more patients died in the last 24 hours. Vaccinations showed a downward graph amid fears of a third wave in the next 6-8 months. Delhi recorded 3,231 fresh cases of coronavirus and 233 fatalities in the last 24 hours. This was the second straight day the capital logged less than 4,000 cases. The positivity rate has dipped to 5.5 per cent.
Amid this a home-based coronavirus (Covid-19) testing kit by Pune based company Mylab Discovery Solutions was launched in India a day after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) gave its nod for its use. The kit, called CoviSelf, will be available in the market next week and it will cost ₹250. Though, the ICMR has made it clear that only symptomatic individuals and immediate contacts of people who tested positive in the laboratory should use the home test kit. The county’s apex health research body said, “Home testing by RAT is advised only in symptomatic individuals and immediate contacts of laboratory-confirmed positive cases. Indiscriminate testing is not advised.”
According to the ICMR chief, the kits will hit the market in the next three to four days. “Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) home testing kits for Covid-19 will be available in the market in three to four days. It will help in isolation of patients during initial stages of the infection as it gives quick results,”
The advisory also stated, “All RAT negative symptomatic individuals may be treated as suspect COVID-19 cases and are advised to follow the ICMR/Ministry of Health home isolation protocol while awaiting the RT-PCR test result.” As per ICMR all symptomatic individuals who test negative by RAT should get themselves immediately tested by RT-PCR. This is especially important as the RATs are likely to miss few positive cases presenting with a low viral load.
While speaking at a press briefing in Delhi, Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General of the ICMR informed that results for home Covid testing will be processed and delivered through a mobile application.
“Step 1 is that you buy the test kit from a chemist, Step 2 – download the mobile app. Step 3- conduct the test at home. Step 4 – click a mobile image and upload. The test result will be given,” Bhargava explained.
He added, “This ensures patient confidentiality, data is stored in a secure server and it is linked with the ICMR database. This should be available in the market within three to four days. One company has approval for home testing kits, three more are in the pipeline.”
Bhargava further said that the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s 2-DG drug is not a new medicine and has been repurposed.
“The DRDO’s 2-DG drug is a repurposed medicine, not a new medicine. It was earlier used for cancer treatment. Its trial results have been given to DCGI,” he said.
Steps to use the CoviSelf:
- Buy the test from a chemist shop and download the mobile application.
- Register yourself on the application and read the user manual carefully.
- This process ensures patient confidentiality as their data is stored in a secure server which is linked to the ICMR database, Dr Bhargava said.
- The kit will use only nasal swab to find out the presence of the infection.
- A test card – part of the kit – will have two bars named C (control) and T (test).
- If the bar at C section changes colour, the test is negative. If the bars at both the sections change colour, the test result is positive.
- A positive test will take 5 to 7 minutes, whereas a negative result will appear in 15 minutes, according to Hasmukh Rawal, managing director, Mylab Discovery Solutions.
- Conduct the test and upload the image on the application. The application will then reflect the results.
- In an advisory, ICMR has said only symptomatic patients and immediate contacts of people who tested positive for the virus should use the home test kit.
- Patients whose result comes out positive will have to follow the ICMR and health ministry guidelines.
