Kits to be rationed ahead of antibody testing this week

nNEWDELHI: States across the country will soon receive half a million antibody testing kits from the Centre, as India embarks on more aggressive testing in so-called containment zones and clusters.

“We have ordered about 500,000 rapid testing kits that we should get by April 8 or 9, and will be deployed in states as per the requirement,” said Raman R Gangakhedkar, chief, epidemiology and communicable disease, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

According to an ICMR advisory, rapid testing kits (for antibody tests or blood tests) need to be deployed in areas where mass testing is required, such as evacuation camps, large cluster areas, and camps for migrant workers.

But, the kits being provided may not be enough, with state governments estimating that they need at least two million kits to test health workers and others who are at the forefront of the nationwide effort to combat the spread of Covid-19, and also people in clusters and containment zones.

India has about 2.2 million health workers, according to

Census 2011.

To meet the requirement, states have asked the Centre for more and also placed orders with private firms to provide as “many kits as possible” . Some states such as Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana have placed orders with firms in South Korea and Hong Kong for antibody test kits.

Kerala, Maharashtra and Rajasthan have already started conducting antibody tests using kits procured from private firms and the ICMR.