In recent developments, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has ordered private hospitals to not conduct antigen testing of any citizen without any symptoms for the coronavirus.
Moreover, he stated that if at all the testing must be done, it would be mandatory to report it on the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) website. According to reports, several private hospitals have been conducting the antigen tests without informing the civic body of Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In view of the situation, BMC has made it mandatory to report the list of patients affected with COVID-19 to the municipal corporation.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has brought down the price of RT-PCR tests and rapid antigen tests by almost 50 per cent. Amidst a spurt in COVID-19 infections across Maharashtra, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced the reduction of prices of the tests on March 31. Taking to Twitter, Rajesh Tope wrote, “If the test samples are taken at a person's home, the RT-PCR test would cost from INR 500 to INR 800. Meanwhile, the price of rapid-antigen tests has also been capped at INR 150.”
This is the fourth time that the test rates have been cut down in the state. After the start of the outbreak in 2020, the charges for an RT-PCR test in Maharashtra were INR 4,500, which were slashed over time by the state government to ease the burden on people.
Rapid antigen tests are commonly used in the diagnosis of respiratory illnesses. In this case, the rapid antigen detection test looks for proteins produced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the virus that causes the disease called COVID-19.
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