‘Use of rapid test kits put on hold’

ICMR reviewing efficacy and will soon come out with fresh guidelines: Official

A medic wearing a protective suit collects a swab sample of a woman at a centre, at Medical college hospital, in Guwahati on Saturday. — Photo: PTI

New Delhi  26.04.2020

States and Union Territories have been asked to put on hold the use of Covid-19 rapid antibody test kits till their accuracy is rechecked by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), official sources said on Saturday.

According to the sources, teams constituted by ICMR are analysing the rapid antibody test kits, procured from two Chinese firms, to check their efficacy after some States reported that they are faulty and giving inaccurate results. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday said the results of the test kits vary from place to place and “it can’t be relied upon”.

“Moreover, WHO has also not commented on its accuracy. ICMR is reviewing the efficacy of the test and the kits in its own labs and shall come out with fresh guidelines soon,” he was quoted as saying in a Health Ministry statement on Friday. An official said, “After a meeting the Union Health Ministry held with States on Friday, they were asked to halt the use of Covid-19 rapid antibody test kits for the time being till their accuracy is validated by the ICMR.” Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR, Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar at a press briefing on Tuesday said high variations between the results of the rapid tests and RT-PCR tests, ranging from 6 to 71 per cent, were reported in some states. He had also said that if batches of the rapid test kits are found to be faulty, the company will be asked to replace them. India has recently procured five lakh rapid antibody test kits from two Chinese firms and they were distributed to States for districts with high burden of infection. PTI