VIJAYAWADA: With the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) advising states to use the easy-todo rapid antigen tests to complement the RT-PCR tests, which require time and effort, the Health Department has started supplying the antigen kits to all districts. The rapid tests can be utilised at points of care such as hospitals, especially where the suspected cases are admitted, quarantine centres, Covid care centres, and also for high risk persons in containment zones.
According to the Covid instant order (63), Special Chief Secretary (health) KS Jawahar Reddy said once the rapid antigen test emerges positive, it should be considered positive, which enables to isolate such patients and start immediate treatment. Thereby, reducing the burden on the hospital wards. “Those who test negative and are without symptoms can be sent for home isolation. All symptomatic individuals testing negative in rapid antigen test should be tested with RT-PCR method in VRDL labs for further confirmation and treatment,” he said. The rapid kits can also be used to test symptomatic and high risk cases in containment zones, he added. In case of positive and symptomatic negative cases, same protocol as mentioned above could be followed.
Further, the kits can be used at quarantine centres to quickly segregate suspected patients; at hospitals to test pregnant women and others requiring surgeries; and asymptomatic positives in quarantine centres, Covid care centres and hospitals before their discharge following a 10-day stay. “However, for all the symptomatic patients, testing through Truenat/RTPCR method shall continue before their discharge,” he said.