NE NEWS SERVICE
AMARAVATI, APRIL 17
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched the services of Rapid Test Kits for testing COVID-19 cases here on Friday.
With this, the laboratories can be able to test over 10000 cases per day. One lakh number of kits received from South Korea was received by the Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy from the Managing Director of Rajiv Sindhi and Director of Muralidhar of Medicaids Private Limited, says a release from CMO.
Launching the test kits, the Chief Minister said that the fight against the pandemic can be speeded up with the arrival of the new rapid test kits. The officials told CM that results will come in just 10 minutes using the kits.
They said that the kits were transported in a special flight from South Korea. Special chief secretary for medical and health Jawahar Reddy said that the kits would be despatched to all the districts in three days and doctors were being given special training to handle the kits.
There will be two strips called IGG and IGM in the kits on which blood samples would be taken to which control solution is added and the result will be out in 10 minutes to know whether the case is positive or negative.
The kits were manufactured by SD Biosensors Company of South Korea which is also being exported to the US and other European countries.
These kits have already been approved by the ICMR. The company officials said that standard kits were being supplied and that technical knowhow would also be provided to the government when in need.
There was only one lab to test Corona virus cases in the state initially. But the government took rapid strides on a war footing in establishing labs in Vijayawada, Kakinada, Anantapur, Guntur, Kadapa and Visakhapatnam in just two weeks for conducting tests for COVID-19. At present, 2100 tests are being conducted in these labs per day. In addition to that the state has over 240 existing kits for conducting the tests extensively, the officials said.
The officials said that 16,555 tests were conducted in the state till April 16.While 331 tests were conducted for every 10 lakh people in Andhra Pradesh, it was conducted for 549 people in Rajasthan, 485 in Kerala and 446 in Maharashtra. The tests would gain momentum in the state with the deployment of rapid test kits, the officials said.
Deputy Chief Minister Alla Nani, Chief Secretary Neelam Sahney, medical and health special chief secretary Jawahar Reddy and DGP Gautam Sawang were present.
