Andhra Pradesh Govt Imports 1 Lakh Rapid Anti-Body Test Kits From South Korea

Andhra Pradesh: Government on Friday said that it had imported one lakh rapid anti-body test kits from South Korea, which were delivered to the state in a special aircraft. This, even as 38 people tested positive for the coronavirus in a 24-hour period, taking the state’s total tally to 572.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the rapid test kits would enable results in 10 minutes. The kits, produced by South Korean company SD BIOSENSOR, are also being exported to the United States and Europe and have the approval of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the state government said.

“These kits will reach all the districts in three to four days,” said Health Secretary Jawahar Reddy.

While rapid anti-body tests cannot confirm the presence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) itself, they can confirm if an individual has recently been exposed to the virus through the detection of antibodies (called immunoglobulins) against it. There are two types of these antibodies: Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG).

According to a press release, “The kits include IgG and IgM strips and blood samples are placed on the strips. A control solution is applied and within 10 minutes, it shows whether the virus is present or absent.”

This comes even as some raise concerns over the methodology being used by the government.

On Thursday, retired senior bureaucrat EAS Sarma raised questions on the efficiency of the COVID-19 tests and wrote to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on the issue.

“I am not sure whether in different States including Andhra Pradesh, each and every rapid test is being invariably cross-checked with regard to a second independent test. When those conducting the rapid tests quickly declare a large number of persons to be negative, how far can such results be relied upon? This is one aspect that your ministry should carefully look into,” Sarma wrote in his letter.

According to the COVID-19 official dashboard, a total number of 20,235 blood samples were tested in the state so far, of which 19,663 turned negative. A total of 35 persons have been cured and released from hospitals, while 14 have lost their lives to the virus in Andhra Pradesh. Currently, 523 persons are availing treatment in various hospitals.