Covid-19: Home testing kit ‘Coviself’ gets ICMR’s nod | 10 things to know

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR has given approval to a home-based rapid antigen testing (RAT) kit for COVID-19. The apex medical body , however, made it clear that the kit should only be used by symptomatic individuals and immediate contacts of people who tested positive in the laboratory. The test kit, christened by Mylab Discovery Solutions Ltd, Pune, will be available in the market in about a week’s time. The test kits are expected to take some of the pressure off laboratories which are struggling to cope with massive surge in covid cases.

Here is what you need to know about home-based rapid antigen testing (RAT) kit for Covid-19

1) The ICMR said that it has approved one kit called CoviSelf for the purpose of home testing.

2) The pouch comes with a pre-filled extraction tube, a sterile nasal swab, one test card, and a biohazard bag.

3) Only nasal swab will be required for this rapid antigen testing.

4) The testing kit has been priced ₹250 per unit which includes taxes.

5) The home testing mobile app is available in Google play store and Apple store and must be downloaded by all users.

6) The mobile app will act as a comprehensive guide of the testing procedure and will provide a positive or negative test result to the patient.

7) There will be two sections on the test card—the control section and the test section.

8) If the bar shows up only at the control section ‘C’, the result is negative, and if the bar appears on both the control section and test (T) section, the test is positive.

9) A positive test will take about 5 to 7 minutes, and a negative result will take 15 minutes max, Hindustan Times quoted Hasmukh Rawal, managing director, Mylab Discovery Solutions.

10) The testkit maker Mylab Discovery Solutions has said that it is extremely simple to use and will not be a biohazard. It comes with a disposal bag to safely dispose off the items after use

The ICMR said that the data from the phone will be centrally captured in a secure server which is connected with the ICMR COVID-19 testing portal, where all data will be eventually stored. The mobile app is a comprehensive guide of the testing procedure and will provide a positive or negative test result to the patient. All users are advised to click a picture of the test strip after completing the test procedure with the same mobile phone,” the ICMR said.