Covid-19
Govt to cut RT-PCR tests for detecting Covid-19 to 40 pct
New Delhi/IBNS: RT-PCR tests, which is widely believed to be the most accurate method to detect COVID-19, will be cut to 40 per cent of total tests by the end of next month, media reports said.
This is far from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to raise RT-PCR tests to 70 per cent, the government announced on Thursday.
The government will rather rely for tests, up to 60 per cent, on the less reliable antigen tests.
This, many believe, is a significant departure from its earlier target as it aims to double its testing capacity to 45 lakh per day by June end.
The announcement comes just two months after PM Modi advised states that RT-PCR should be 70 per cent of all tests and said there was "no pressure" if positive numbers were high.
Rather, in a bid to reduce queues outside diagnostic facilities, the ICMR on Wednesday approved the first self-use Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kit, developed by Pune-based MyLab Discovery Solutions, that detects coronavirus infection in 15 minutes.
The test can be completed in two minutes only while the result can be obtained in just 15 minutes, enabling people to take protective and quarantine measures almost immediately after suspicion of infection.
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