COVID-19 tests to be done via Rapid Antigen kits in Delhi from June 18; charges fixed at Rs 2,400

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NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday said that COVID-19 tests will be done via new Rapid Antigen method recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) from June 18 in Delhi, which would be given priority for these kits. 

The Home Ministry also informed that the cost of the COVID-19 test in Delhi has been fixed at Rs 2,400. It added that from June 18, 169 centers for COVID-19 testing would also become operation in Delhi.

The MHA said, “High-level expert committee's report on COVID-19 testing rates received by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been further sent to Delhi government for necessary action. It has been decided to fix the test rate at Rs 2,400.”

The Home Ministry further stated that in order to improve contact mapping in Delhi, health surveys had been conducted for a population of 1,77,692 in 242 containment zones between June 15-16.

The development comes days after the ICMR wrote a letter to the Centre calling for ramping up testing for COVID-19 in Delhi containment zones and hospitals by use of rapid antigen detection test.

The letter has been written by ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava to the Union Health Ministry in which he had called for "ramping up testing for COVID-19 in containment zones and hospitals in Delhi by use of rapid antigen detection test".

In view of the ICMR letter, the Delhi government said that it is likely to use rapid antigen kits for COVID-19 testing in containment zones and healthcare settings from June 20.

The kits will allow faster diagnosis without laboratory examination. 

Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection kit (rapid antigen test kits) is a rapid chromatographic immunoassay for qualitative detection of specific antigens to SARS-CoV-2. It has been developed by SD Biosensor, a South Korea-based company, the Indian Council of Medical Research said in an advisory issued earlier.

Suspected individuals who test negative for COVID-19 by rapid antigen test should be tested sequentially by RT-PCR to rule out infection, whereas a positive test should be considered as a truly positive and does not need reconfirmation by RT-PCR test, the ICMR said in its letter to the Health Ministry
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The Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection can be interpreted as positive or negative after 15 minutes of putting the sample into the well by the appearance of test and control lines, which can be read with a naked eye, requiring no specialized equipment, it said.

The maximum duration for interpreting a positive or negative test is 30 minutes. After that the test strip should be discarded, it said.