A rapid Covid-19 test developed by the Indian Council of Medical Reearch-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) is expected to reduce the cost and turnaround time by 40% according to officials. The visually interpretable test kits, which will be produced by Chennai and Delhi based companies, will be made available within a couple of weeks in airports in India and other places, according to a Times of India report. The companies have been asked to scale up production in view of Omicron fears.
The test kits have been developed using molecular-based technology, which neither requires expensive machines such as RT PCR or high-speed centrifuges nor skilled workforce to conduct the tests. An ICMR official said that the test, RT-LAMP, has 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. “It takes only 30-40 minutes to churn out the result, which can be visually interpreted,” he said.
The official added that the test can be very easily deployed at airports, docks, railway stations and other entry points for screening potential Covid patients as it does not require sophisticated machinery or skilled workforce.
The RT-LAMP kit has been validated by the National Institute of Biologicals, Noida. An ICMR official said that the tests will be cheaper than rapid RT PCR. The new ICMR-NIV test kit is likely to cost not more than Rs 3000 as opposed to the current rapid RT PCR, which costs around Rs 3,900.
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