THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has decided to implement its three-pronged strategy of containing the transmission of Covid-19 in a foolproof manner.The strategy, which includes social distancing, wearing of facemasks, quarantine and reverse quarantine, has so far paid dividends as the government has been successful in preventing cases in which people got infected due to contact, from spiralling out of control.
Moreover, the state on Wednesday — for the second time this month — saw more people recovering from Covid-19 than the number of people testing positive on a single day. Against 75 new cases, there were 90 recoveries on the day. “Kerala is currently witnessing the third wave of Covid-19 following lockdown restrictions and the arrival of people from abroad and other states. All of us need to be cautious to prevent community spread of the virus,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters.
He said the dangerous situation the state was in could be surmised from the fact that till May 4 there were three Covid-19 deaths, but now there were 20. “The same can be seen in the number of confirmed cases too,” he said.“While following the regulations, people should also inspire others to follow the same. Each of us should become health ambassadors,” he said The CM said the government was considering the Covid-19 expert committee’s suggestion to publish fixed rates for RT-PCR tests in private sector too.
Kerala to adopt rapid antigen test
T’Puram: The state will soon adopt a new testing strategy in the form of point-of-care rapid antigen detection test. CM Pinarayi Vijayan said the government has decided to consider the advice of the state expert committee on Covid-19 and appropriate action will be initiated. The Indian Council of Medical Research in an advisory issued last Sunday had said the test would help in proper implementation of the government strategy to test, track and treat. It also said such tests will help in allaying the anxiety and fear of healthcare workers and aid in better clinical management of the patients.
According to ICMR, though there are no reliable antigen detection tests available worldwide, it has zeroed in on Standard Q Covid-19 Ag detection kit developed by SD Biosensor, a South Korea-based company, having its manufacturing unit in Manesar, Gurugram. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, one of the main advantages of an antigen test is its speed, which can provide results in minutes. However, antigen tests may not detect all active infections.