Don't use testing kits for 2 days: ICMR to states

April 21, 2020 16:47

Union Health Ministry briefs the media over Coronavirus pandemic. R Gangakhedkar, Indian Council of Medical Research says states have been advised not to use rapid testing kits for two days. "There are a lot of variations and kits will be tested and validated by on-ground teams and we will give advisory in the next 2 days." It says it will investigate the issue of faulty kits.

"4,49,810 samples have been tested so far. 35,852 samples were tested yesterday, of which 29,776 samples were tested in 201 Indian Council of Medical Research network labs and remaining 6,076 samples were tested in 86 private labs," Gangadhar says.

The ICMR on Monday said that RTPCR kits are US FDA approved and have good standards and these should be stored under 20-degree temperature for better result. During a press briefing here, ICMR head scientist Dr R Gangakhedkar said it had received a grievance that in West Bengal, RTPCR kits are not working properly. These kits are US FDA approved and have good standards. Only thing is that these should be stored under 20 degrees temperature. Otherwise, results may not be correct."

A day on, ICMR chief Gangakhedkar said COVID-19 was a new disease. "It is a new disease, in the last three-and-half months science has progressed and developed PCR tests, 5 vaccines have gone into human trial phase out of 70 vaccine candidates. It has never happened before in case of any other disease."

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