Assam gets 2 lakh Q COVID-19 Ag Test kits that can detect cases within an hour

July 2: During a press briefing in Guwahati on Wednesday afternoon, State Health Minister, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that a new testing kit will be used for the screening of possible COVID-19 cases in Guwahati. The kit named, Q COVID-19 Ag Test kit can detect cases in about 15 minutes to 1 hour. On Thursday, Assam procured 2 lakh Rapid Point of Care Antigen Detection Test kits. This new tool approved by ICMR, Delhi is used for quick diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in field settings.

In a shot in the arm to our efforts to test, track and treat #COVID19 patients, I am so glad to share that we've got 2 lakh Rapid Point of Care Antigen Detection Test kits, a new tool approved by @ICMRDELHI for quick diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in field settings.#AssamCares pic.twitter.com/6CD3e7uIuc

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 2, 2020

Training of the medical staff for the new testing kit took place on Thursday. State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with health officials also attended the demonstration of the new testing kit at Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH). Sharing this information in a tweet, the minister wrote, “It gives immediate results, has moderate sensitivity but high specificity. In #Guwahati where the spread is rapid, we shall deploy 1 lakh kits. This, coupled with ongoing gold standard RT-PCR tests, further sharpens our testing abilities.” In all probability, the new testing model will be implemented from 3 July.