New Delhi: The Council of Medical Research (ICMR) of India has approved a kit called Coviself for Coronavirus Testing at Home (Covid-19 Home Test Kit). After this decision, people can now do a Kovid test by bringing Rapid Antigen Test Kit (RAT) at home after spending just Rs 250. The special thing is that this will reveal the results of the investigation in just 15 minutes. However, the ICMR has also issued an advisory for the investigation, in which it has been advised not to do a proper investigation.
ICMR has said that Rapid Antigen Test Kit has been prepared by Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions Limited. The organization has said that only those people who have symptoms of Covid-19 should use it or they have come in contact with an infected person. A statement issued by ICMR said, ‘Indiscriminate testing is not recommended in this. All people who have been tested positive can be considered genuine positive and there is no need for repeated testing. At the same time, despite the symptoms, if the results of the self-test are negative, then they will be considered as a suspected Covid case and they can undergo an RT-PCR test.
How to use
According to the user manual, ‘Put the nasal swab 2 to 4 cm in both nostrils. After that, swab the swab for 5 times in both nostrils. Insert the swab into a pre-filled tube and break the remaining swab. Close the lid of the tube. After pressing the tube on the test card, pour two drops one after the other and wait for 15 minutes for the results. Any result that comes after 20 minutes should be considered illegal.
There will be two sections on the test card. There will be a control section and a test section. If the bar appears only on the control section ‘C’, then the result is negative. If the bars come on both the control section and the test section (T), it means that the antigen has been detected and tests positive.
What did the manufacturer say?
According to the report of Hindustan Times, Hasmukh Rawal, MD, MyLab Discovery Solutions said, ‘The test kit will be available in the market in a week. It took us 5 months to prepare this product. We have kept it at Rs 250 per kit, which includes tax. He told, ‘The kit has been designed in such a way that it is very easy to use and is not a biohazard. Along with this comes a safety bag, in which you can dispose of the kit after use.
He said, “Positive examination will take 5 to 7 minutes and negative results will take at most 15 minutes.” According to the report, this pouch of the test kit will come with a pre-filled extraction tube, a nose swab, a test card, and a safety bag. Apart from this, the person doing the test will have to download the MyLab CoveSelf app on their phone.
According to the statement of the ICMR, “All those who are positive are advised to take care according to the home isolation and regulations of the ICMR and the Ministry of Health”. During a recent press briefing, ICMR chief Dr. Balaram Bhargava had said that the council is exploring arrangements to conduct a Covid-19 probe at home.
