HYDERABAD: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released new data which puts Telangana at the bottom in terms of conducting RT-PCR tests to curtail Covid-19. The list names 15 States and reveals that among all tests done in Telangana, only 15.50% is RT-PCR, the lowest nationally. This goes against recent guidelines by the Ministry to increase the proportion of RT-PCR test to 70%. Telangana roughly does 50,000-55,000 tests everyday. RT-PCR tests may be less than 10,000 a day. Telangana is behind Bihar, which does a shade better with 16.35% of its tests being RT-PCR.
However, Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivasa Rao supported Telangana’s decision to use more Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) than RT-PCR. “We have a testing capacity of upto 1 lakh per day with additional support from private facilities. Our focus is to use RAT kits as they give instant results and ensure that an infected person doesn’t mingle with others. RT-PCR is more suited for hospital settings as the results take 24 hours or more when the patient is admitted in hospital,” he said.