The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to ramp up rapid antigen testing with plans to procure 50,000 testing kids by September. The BMC received nearly 1 lakh testing kits in July, with over 72,000 of them being used so far.
Though rapid antigen testing accounts for almost 50% of the daily COVID-19 testing, it is considered to be less sensitive as compared to an RT-PCR test. But results from a rapid antigen test are made available within 15 to 20 minutes which gives the authorities a very good idea of whom to isolate.
Data reveals that out of the 72,515 tests conducted in this fashion, 4,105 have returned positive. Civic body protocol suggests that if symptomatic patients are tested negative via the rapid antigen test, they are tested using the RT-PCR method for a more precise result.
“We are conducting antigen tests on a much larger scale. For now, we have issued a requirement of 50,000 kits and will procure more in the future,” Additional Municipal Commissioner of the BMC, Suresh Kakani said.
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Currently, the BMC is conducting rapid antigen testing on essential workers, vendors located in containment zones, as well as high-risk contacts. The civic body alone conducts around 2,000 rapid antigen tests each day. This is in addition to the tests conducted by ICMR approved private labs.
Mumbai reported 743 new COVID-19 cases on August 24, the city’s lowest single-day case count in the month. The city has a total of 18,267 active cases at the moment with the recovery rate relatively strong at 81 per cent
“We are going to continue aggressive testing through antigen kits. The 50,000 kits are expected to be received by September. Recently, all ward officers were given a target of completing 1,000 tests daily. These tests will majorly involve antigen kits as well as RT-PCR tests wherever it is required”, a civic official said.
Also read - Navi Mumbai Ramps Up Testing For COVID-19
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