Government of India allows private sector to diagnose Corona Virus

The Government of India has opened testing of Corona Virus to private sector. The price of testing is to range between Rs 9,000 and Rs 12,000.

Highlights

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is to establish 51 testing centres apart from the private sector operated ones. These centres are to be authorized by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). Already, there are 72 ICMR labs doing the tests.

The ICMR is to share the Standard of Procedure to test the virus to these labs.

National Institute of Virology

In order to perform the tests, the labs have to acquire probes, reagents and primers all by themselves. The test kits will then be validated by National Institute of Virology. Only then the labs are authorized to perform the tests on the public.

Tests

The Antibody-Assay tests are much faster and yield results in an hour. At first stage the person is to show increased level of immunoglobulin. These tests are termed as rapid tests and have slightly higher possibilities of false detection.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2020