News Desk: The COVID-19 testing facilities of Assam got a major boost as the state received 2 Lakh Rapid Point of Care Antigen Detection Test kits on Thursday.
The new testing tool which is used for quick diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 has been approved by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday night tweeted stating; “In a shot in the arm to our efforts to test, track and treat #COVID19 patients, I am so glad to share that we’ve got 2 lakh Rapid Point of Care Antigen Detection Test kits, a new tool approved by ICMRDELHI for quick diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in field settings”
Himanta Biswa Sarma also attended a demonstration of the testing kit which was conducted at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
In a Tweet, the Health Minister said that the new testing kit gives immediate results. It has moderate sensitivity but high sensitivity.
The new testing kit can detect the presence of foreign substance in a person’s oral or nasal swab. But still, these are non-confirmatory tests.
A person who had been tested ‘positive’ through the Rapid Antigen Detection test will be considered ‘truly positive’ for COVID-19. But those who have been tested ‘negative’ must still go for the RT-PCR test.
A total of 1 Lakh testing kits will be deployed in Guwahati city which has witnessed a rapid increase in COVID-19 positive cases.
Image Source: Internet
