ICMR REMOVES CAP OF `4,500 FOR COVID TESTS

With the larger availability of locally manufactured RT-PCR kits used for testing of coronavirus, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has removed the cap on pricing of

`4,500 and said the states can now decide their own price for the tests.

The order is expected to bring down the price of Covid19 RT-PCR tests conducted to detect the presence of infection in the body.

The ICMR had on March 17 put a cap on the pricing of the test kits after it allowed private labs to join testing of

Covid-19. The kits were earlier imported but now with several companies making swabs and kit in India itself, and aggressive competition leading to price drop many states have started procuring the kits that are made in India.

After evaluation of 83 testing kits, the ICMR has approved 35 kits produced by both Indian and foreign companies.

The testing capacity in the country has increased through

435 government laboratories and 189 private laboratories (total of 624 labs).

Cumulatively, 32.42 lakh samples have been tested so far out of which 1.16 lakh samples were tested on Tuesday. Officials said government plans to further increase the testing to 2 lakh tests per day.

Till Wednesday morning a total of 1,51,767 cases have been reported in the country in which 64,426 persons have been cured and the recovery rate is pegged at 42.4%. The fatality rate is 2.86%. In the last 24 hours 6,387 fresh cases and 170 new deaths were reported.

According to

COVID19India.org cases in India have reached 1,54369 and

4381 deaths have been reported.