“A cumulative total of 73.52,911 samples were tested until June 23,” said ICMR (File)
New Delhi:
More than 73.5 lakh samples were tested for COVID-19 until June 23, of which 2.15 lakh were tested on Tuesday, the highest in a day since the pandemic began, officials said on Wednesday. of the ICMR.
The main health research organization validated the 1,000th analysis laboratory on Tuesday, thereby increasing the detection capacity of COVID-19 in the country. Currently, three lakh samples can be tested per day, said an official.
“A cumulative total of 73,522,911 samples was tested until June 23, and 2,155,195 samples were tested on Tuesday,” said the ICMR.
Of the 1,000 COVID-19 analysis laboratories, 730 are in government structures while 270 are in the private sector. This includes RT-PCR (557), TrueNat Labs (363) and CBNAAT Labs (80).
“However, despite these developments, access to testing remains a huge challenge in a large country like India. There is a definite need to increase the scope of testing by introducing rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests” , noted the ICMR in its opinion published Tuesday.
In addition, it is useful to conduct a serological survey with IgG-based antibody tests in certain situations, he said.
Given this, it is now suggested to include additional testing methods to improve access and availability of testing in various regions of the country, said the health research organization.
Real-time RT-PCR is the benchmark test for detecting COVID-19 cases and the average time required is approximately 4 to 5 hours between receiving the sample and obtaining the result.
“The advantage of this platform lies in its detection accuracy as well as in its capacity to analyze up to 90 samples at one time. Given the need for a specialized laboratory configuration, this test cannot be performed in all district laboratories that do not have molecular virology facilities, “said the ICMR.
TrueNat and CBNAAT systems have also been deployed for the diagnosis of COVID-19 given the availability of custom cartridges.
These platforms are widely available, even at the district and primary health center levels, as they are widely used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. These platforms have a fast turnaround time (30 to 60 minutes), but only one to four samples can be tested at one time, limiting the maximum number that can be tested to 24 to 48 samples per day only, said the ICMR.
The ICMR recently approved the use of the rapid antigen test for coronavirus infection which gives results in 30 minutes.
It recommended the deployment of a rapid antigen detection test for COVID-19 in combination with the RT-PCR test in all containment areas, central and state medical schools and public hospitals, private hospitals approved by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare (NABH)), and all NABL and ICMR accredited private laboratories for COVID-19 testing.
He also advised that the rapid antibody test for COVID-19 should only be done for surveillance, not diagnostic, to help allay fears and anxiety from healthcare workers and employees.
IgG antibodies generally begin to appear after two weeks of infection onset after the individual has recovered, and these last for several months.
It can be used to conduct a serological survey to understand the proportion of the population exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection, including asymptomatic people, and to conduct surveys in high-risk or vulnerable populations ( health workers, front line workers, immunocompromised people, in containment areas, etc.) to find out who had been infected in the past and who is now cured.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
