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| CoviSelf Price, How & When to Use |
India’s first home-based rapid antigen testing (RAT) kit for COVID-19 has received the ICMR’s nod and is set to hit the shelves soon. The self-testing kit is called ‘CoviSelf’ and it is manufactured by Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions Ltd.
CoviSelfTM(PathoCatch) COVID-19 OTC Antigen LF device has been validated and approved, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said. The ICMR also issued an advisory saying the CoviSelf kit should be used only on symptomatic individuals and on immediate contacts of laboratory-confirmed positive cases.
When will CoviSelf kits be available in the market?
CoviSelf, which helps people test themselves for coronavirus at home, is likely to be available in India in a week’s time. Also Read - All We Know About B.1.617 Covid Variant Which is Affecting Children in Singapore
Mylab Director Sujeet Jain said CoviSelf will be available by end of next week in more than 7 lakh pharmacies and its online pharmacy partners across India. Our target is to reach 90 per cent pin codes in India, the Mylab Director said.
Mylab’s current production capacity is 70 lakh tests per week, but within 14 days it plans to increase this number to 1 crore tests per week. The company will start shipping out tests within a few days.
What is the price of CoviSelf?
A pack of CoviSelf kit, which is a COVID-19 antigen lateral flow test devise, will be priced at Rs 250.
How long does the test take?
It takes 2 minutes to conduct the test and a maximum of 15 minutes to get the result. A positive test will take about 5 to 7 minutes. A negative result will take around 15 minutes.
Who can use the self-testing kit and how many times?
“This test is for self-use. If you test positive via this there’s no need for RT-PCR test as per ICMR. Any adult can use this kit by reading our manual,” said Mylab Director Sujeet Jain.
“Home testing by RAT is advised only in symptomatic individuals and immediate contacts of laboratory confirmed positive cases. Indiscriminate testing is not advised,” the ICMR said in the advisory.
All individuals who test positive through the RAT kit may be considered as true positives and no repeat testing is required, it added.
Symptomatic people who test negative should get RT-PCR test done:
“All RAT negative symptomatic individuals may be treated as suspect COVID-19 cases and are advised to follow the ICMR/Ministry of Health home isolation protocol while awaiting the RT-PCR test result,” the advisory stated.
“All symptomatic individuals who test negative by RAT should get themselves immediately tested by RT-PCR. This is especially important as the RATs are likely to miss few positive cases presenting with a low viral load.
How to use CoviSelf COVID-19 testing kit at home:
The ICMR said the process should be conducted as per the procedure described by the manufacturer in the user manual.
Each kit will be provided with all testing materials, instructions to use (IFU) leaflet, and a biohazard bag to safely dispose of it after testing. The test is designed to be done using a nasal swab (not the deep nasopharyngeal swab) to reduce the discomfort.
Downloading home testing mobile app mandatory:
The ICMR said the home testing mobile app is available in Google play store and Apple store and must be downloaded by all users.
The mobile app is a comprehensive guide of the testing procedure and will provide a positive or negative test result to the patient.
All users are advised to click a picture of the test strip after completing the test procedure with the same mobile phone which has been used for downloading the mobile app and user registration.
“Data in the app of your mobile phone will be centrally captured in a secure server which is connected with the ICMR COVID-19 testing portal, where all data will be eventually stored. Patient confidentiality will be fully maintained,” the advisory underlined.
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