New Delhi:
The Delhi government commenced COVID-19 testing through rapid antigen methodology in and around containment zones of the city on Thursday.
A total of 341 teams were involved in the rapid-antigen testing that makes results available within 30 minutes, an official said.
In a tweet, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “7,040 people underwent rapid-antigen test at 193 centres across Delhi. Of this, 456 people have been found positive.”
He said those residing in containment zones are being tested in the initial phase.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said a certificate will be issued to those tested at various centres, subject to clearance from the AIIMS and the Indian Council of Medical Research.
According to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, the Centre plans to conduct six lakh rapid-antigen tests at these facilities.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Two important things happened today. COVID-19 testing rates in Delhi have been reduced to Rs 2,400 and rapid-antigen testing has started. I hope people won’t face any problem in getting themselves tested now.”
At many centres, testing began as early as 9 am. People with mild symptoms or no symptoms at can get themselves tested, another official said.
Those who came to get themselves tested at a centre in Sunlight Colony in southeast Delhi said the entire process took only about an hour. The centre started operating at 10 am and by around 5 pm as many as 125 swab samples were collected, a healthcare worker said.
Around 1,000 tests were conducted by 8 pm at 44 centres in south Delhi, according to a senior official.
“After arriving here (testing centre in Sunlight Colony), we went to the registration desk. After waiting for about half-an-hour, we were tested. The testing process took only five to seven minutes,” Alex Samuel, 20, said, adding, “The authorities told us the results will be sent via SMSes on Friday.”
A healthcare worker at the testing centre said each testing kit costs Rs 450 and can provide results within 30 minutes as compared to RT-PCR test that takes three to four hours.
The kits, called Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection, have been developed by South Korean company S D Biosensor. The testing method involves looking for antibodies which are produced when the body is exposed to a pathogen.
If a person has antibodies associated with novel coronavirus, it means the person is either COVID-19 positive or has recovered.
“It is an easy and cheap method of detecting asymptomatic cases,” another healthcare worker said.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, suspected individuals who test negative for COVID-19 in rapid antigen test should undergo RT-PCR test to rule out the infection. While positive test results should be considered as true positive and do not need reconfirmation by RT-PCR test, it said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday said testing will be tripled by Saturday.
On Wednesday, Delhi recorded 2,414 fresh coronavirus cases, the highest single-day spike here, taking the tally in the city over the 47,000-mark, while the number of deaths from the disease climbed to 1,904.
Last week, the Delhi government, which has been scrambling to find beds for coronavirus patients, warned that there could be 5.5 lakh cases by the end of July – something it is not prepared to deal with. Hospitals will need at least 80,000 more beds, the government cautioned.
