KOCHI: As the district is nearing 100 per cent vaccination, collector Jaffer Malik has ordered a strict ban on Covid antigen testing at government and private labs in the district. The decision to discontinue antigen testing came after the Covid review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
In case of an emergency, antigen tests can be done only with a doctor’s permission at government or private labs.
However, RT-PCR tests can be done at both government and private labs depending on the capacity of the lab. Test results should be given within 12 hours after sample collection. All test results must be uploaded on the Lab Diagnosis Management System Portal on the same day. For bystanders of patients admitted to hospital, an RT-PCR test is a must and the results must be made available within six hours.