Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said that 42,000 rapid antibody test kits have been acquired, which will be used in testing people for coronavirus in various containment zones spread across the city.
The Government is aiming to use 42,000 kits in a week, with the main focus on the containment zones.
“We have started a trial run and training in the LNJP hospital and from Monday, these kits will be used in the hotspot areas,” he said.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain also said there is no point in doing random testing. “These kits will be used on people who ever had even minor symptoms,” he said.
The rapid antibody tests have been initiated in Delhi on Sunday for all the containment zones across the national capital. Two kinds of diagnostic tests are being currently prescribed for use in India— the RT-PCR test and rapid antibody test — as per global health norms.
A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test is a laboratory technique combining reverse transcription of RNA into DNA that detects the virus while the antibody tests, which use blood, detect the body’’s response to the virus.
In rapid antibody test, the result will be positive only if the antibodies have been generated. So, even if a person is infected but the antibodies are not generated, the result will come negative.
RT-PCR test takes time and is a costly affair, because of its elaborate kit.
On the other hand, the rapid antibody test is less expensive and the result can come in 20-30 minutes, experts said.
The number of containment zones in Delhi on Saturday had increased to 76, with eight new zones being added in various areas in one day.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Saturday climbed to 1,893, with 186 fresh cases and one death being reported in a day, according to the Delhi Government authorities.