As corona testing ratio too low, assessment has long way to go

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As corona testing ratio too low, assessment has long way to go

Friday, 27 March 2020 | Archana Jyoti/TN Raghunatha | New Delhi

As corona testing ratio too low, assessment has long way to go

With billion plus population, only 25,000 samples tested so far

With just around 25,000 samples tested from around 24,000 individuals so far, India with a billion plus population has to go a long way in assessing the true extent of coronavirus spread.

The test size is being considered as one of the lowest in the world on population yardstick. Various reports as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been insisting on “test, test and test” asserting lockdown is not complete solution to combat the virus which has infected over 700 people and killed 15 so far in India.

Compare India with the US, which has four time less population, on testing parameters. While only around 24,000 individuals have been tested in India, the number stands around 60,000 for the USA.

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been maintaining at various forum that “all countries should be able to test all suspected cases, they cannot fight this pandemic blindfolded.”

On Thursday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) directed hospitals, including the private ones, to collect the nasal and throat swab samples of the suspected cases of COVID19 in one VTM tube and transport them to the nearest testing laboratory in cold chain.

Till now, only people in contact with the infected or those with travel history to high-risk countries, or health workers managing patients with severe respiratory disease and developing Covid-19 symptoms, are eligible for test.

To ensure availability of testing kits, the Government through the ICMR has sought price quotes for the supply of 10 lakh antibody kits (serological test) for diagnosis of COVID-19. It will also procure 7 lakh RNA extraction kits, for a method which is currently used for the testing of the virus in the country.

Since, the clearance of the company manufacturing these kits will take its own time, experts say that India is already too late in ramping up its efforts to contain the deadly disease.

Meanwhile, on the suggestions of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the ICMR has given nod to labs at Virology Department of the All Indian Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Delhi, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, KEM, Mumbai, NICED, Kolkata and Nimhans in Bangalore the to validate the testing kits.

The DCGI had pointed out that the country’s only lab, NIV-Pune that has been assigned for validation of kits will not be able to do job with cent per cent accuracy because of the load to test the kits hence, more labs should be asked to do the task.

The agency has invited kit manufacturers to quote their prices. It has also asked them about supply timeline and capacity available for COVID-19 testing kits that are approved by ICMR or international authorities like USFDA and EUA. The supply locations for the test kits are Dibrugarh, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhopal and Delhi.

In addition to over a 100 Government laboratories that have been approved for the COVID-19 testing, the Union Health Ministry has roped in close to 30 private laboratories with over 17,000 collection centres all over the country to carry out COVID-19 tests based on the ICMR protocols.

The laboratories are in the process of procuring the test kits and readying themselves for scaling up testing capabilities. The ICMR has also indicated that it might go for parallel contracts to more than one vendors to ensure timely supply.

Once community transmission is documented, the testing strategy will undergo changes to evolve into stage-appropriate testing strategy, the ICMR has said. Advisory for testing are being reviewed and updated periodically.

Now let’s take a look at Maharashtra which has recorded the maximum number of positive cases. Amid reports that Maharashtra lacks enough testing facilities for Covid-19, State Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh does not quite agree with it.

“As of now, we can cater to our current requirements. God forbid, there should not community spread of the pandemic in the State. On our part, we are preparing ourselves for the worst and are enhancing further testing facilities across the State,” Deshmukh told The Pioneer.

According to Deshmukh, the State currently has a capacity to test 2,000 Covid-19 samples in 14 Government-run laboratories across the State. “Before the outbreak of coronavirus, we had three laboratories National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai and IGMC Hospital in Nagpur that had the capacity to carry out 800 Covind-19 tests. We have now added 11 more medical college-com-hospitals across the State for carrying out the necessary tests. Together, we have the capacity to 2,000 samples in these 14 Government-run labs,” Deshmukh said.

The 11 Government institution labs where Covid-19 testing has now been allowed are BJ Medical College-hospital, Pune, GSMC Hospital, KEM Hospital, Grant Medical-JJ Hospital, Haffkine Institute, all in Mumbai, AFMC college-hospital, Pune and Government medical college-associated Hospitals at Miraj, Akola, Aurangabad, Pune, Solapur and Nagpur.

In addition, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday granted permission to nine private laboratories in Maharashtra to undertake coronavirus tests. They comprise: HN Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre, Kokilaben Dhirubai Ambani Hospital Laboratory, Thyrocare Technology Limited, Metropolis Health Care Limited, IGenetic Diagnostic Pvt Ltd, SRL Limited, Suburban Diagnostics (India) Pvt Limited, all in Mumbai, AG Diagnostics Pvt Limited, Pune and InfeXn Laboratories, Thane (west).

“I reckon that these private laboratories can together undertake 2,000 Covid-19 tests a day. If we put the capacities of the Government and private hospitals together, we have total capacity to undertake 28,000-30,000 coronavirus tests in a seven-day week. This is more than sufficient cases considering that we are currently testing referral Covid-19 samples from various hospitals across the State,” Deshmukh said.

iGenetic Diagnostics, which was one of the pathology labs with NABL accredited centers located in Mumbai, elsewhere in Maharashtra, Delhi and Bengaluru that have been permitted by the ICMR to undertake Covid-19 test, says it can carry out 500 tests in a day. “We can carry out 500 Covid-19 tests in a day. We will collect samples from the homes of patients on the basis of prescriptions. We will carry out tests at the Government-prescribed price of Rs 4,500 per test. We have taken this initiative to support the Government in all its efforts to control the spread of this disease” iGenetic Diagnostics’ founder-CEO Arunima Patel said.

Meanwhile, according to a medical bulletin put out by the Public Health Department of the Maharashtra Government on Wednesday evening, as many as 2,988 people have - since January 18 --been hospitalised in various isolation wards across the State owing to them developing symptoms such as fever, cold, cough etc. Of the total admissions, 2,531 laboratory samples were negative and 122 have tested positive for coronavirus.

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