Punjab has initiated the rapid antigen testing in its worst-affected districts — Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana and SAS Nagar (Mohali) for early detection and management of COVID-19 infections.
“Three more districts — Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Ropar — have been instructed to commence this exercise to expedite the testing process,” said the state Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu.
Sidhu said that total of 2,365 rapid antigen tests have been conducted in these districts so far, out of which 197 found positive and 2168 tested negative.
Giving further details, the Minister said that the rapid antigen test is a rapid chromatographic immunoassay for qualitative detection of specific antigens to SARS-CoV-2. “It has been developed by SD Biosensor and provides test results within 30 minutes. Those who are found to be positive by Antigen Test will be taken as confirmed positive while those who tested negative in the antigen test will be re-tested by CB NAAT/TrueNat/RT PCR,” said the Minister.
Regarding sample collection, Sidhu said that Nasopharyngeal swabs will be collected by the trained doctors or paramedic using PPE in the hospital setting or in the community.
“Besides, antigen testing of categories such as SARI patients, symptomatic and high-risk contacts of COVID-19 positive patients and symptomatic individuals found in the house-to-house screening in containment areas, asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case to be tested once between day 5 and day 10 of coming into contact especially in containment or micro- containment zones, high-risk contacts with co-morbidities lung disease, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, neurological disorders, blood disorders; asymptomatic patients who are hospitalized or seeking hospitalization in the high-risk groups — like patients undergoing chemotherapy etc, is being conducted. Instructions have already been issued to all Civil Surgeons in this regard,” he added.
The Minister clarified that in case of elective or emergency surgical procedures like neurosurgery, ENT surgery, dental procedures, non-surgical interventions like bronchoscopy, Upper Gl endoscopy and dialysis, TrueNAAT or CB-NAAT machines should be preferred for COVID-19 tests.