Jharkhand Rural Health Mission Society (JRHMS) has given approval for conducting antigen tests for Covid-19 at different health hubs. The facility has been started at Brahmananda Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, Tata Main Hospital and Tata Motors Hospital.

The society has approved antigen tests on a limited scale at healthcare facilities to diagnose the novel coronavirus. Public health experts appreciated the move, saying antigen tests will make Covid-19 diagnosis faster and less expensive than the RT-PCR tests and ramp up testing capacity.

“The move has been taken to enchance testing facilities. Rapid diagnostic tests detect the presence of viral proteins (antigens) expressed by Covid-19 virus in a sample taken from the respiratory tract of a person.  If the target antigen is present in sufficient concentrations in the sample, it will bind to specific antidotes fixed to a paper strip enclosed in a plastic casing and generate a visually detectable signal within 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, the East Singhbhum district health department will carry out massive rapid antigen tests for Covid-19 at the steel city and in its rural areas of the district on Monday. Rapid antigen kits have been procured for the drive. The test drive will run Kadma, Sonari, Birsanagar, Sidgora and Mango. 

For carrying out the test, the district administration and its health wing has made all preparation so that the testing procedure may start effectively from 8 am to continue till 4 pm.

Revealing about the rapid antigen test, district civil surgeon, Dr RN Jha said for carrying out such a test one does need a conventional laboratory. Jha said though the medical team that will carry out the test will obtain swabbed samples from the nose and throat like it is done for a test in the RT-PCR in a lab, but the sample tests are done by means of a kit outside a laboratory.

Jha pointed out though results of an antigen test of any person takes only 30 minutes, but compiling the results in a day will take considerable time and thus the results of the massive tests may come only till late on Monday night.

The sources said in Jamshedpur 16 sample collection-cum-test centres have been identified for the rapid antigen tests, whereas in the rural areas of the district 160 such centres have been set up.  About 380 medical personnels, including doctors and technicians will be attending the massive test drive, all wearing PPE kits during the day-long programme.