ICMR issues Advisory for Covid-19 Home Testing using Rapid Antigen Tests

May 20: The ICMR has approved Rapid Antigen Kits to conduct Covid test at home and simultaneously the nodal body has issued advisory to test at home. In the guidelines issued by ICMR, it is stated that only symptomatic individuals and immediate contacts of people who tested positive in the laboratory should use the home test.

The home testing rapid antigen test kits would be available in the market in next three to four days, ICMR chief Dr Balram Bhargava said. “For home testing for COVID19, one company has already made the application, and 3 are in the pipeline. Within a next week, we should have another 3 companies,” said ICMR said.

Step 1 is that you buy the test kit from a chemist; Step 2- download mobile app; Step 3- conduct the test at home; step 4- click mobile image and upload, test result will be given. Within 3-4 days this should be available in the market, said Dr Balram Bhargava, ICMR.

𝐈𝐂𝐌𝐑 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃-𝟏𝟗 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 (𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐬). For more details visit https://t.co/dI1pqvXAsZ @PMOIndia #ICMRFIGHTSCOVID19 #IndiaFightsCOVID19 pic.twitter.com/membV3hPbX

— ICMR (@ICMRDELHI) May 19, 2021

Rapid Antigen Kits to conduct Covid test at home got a green signal on Wednesday and the Indian Council of Medical Research — the nodal body in the fight against the virus — issued detailed guidelines on who can use it and how.

• Home testing by RAT is advised only in symptomatic individuals and immediate contacts of laboratory confirmed positive cases.
• Indiscriminate testing is not advised.
• Home testing should be conducted as per the procedure described by the manufacturer in the user manual (pictorial and video link of the user manual is provided below against the name of the approved test kit).
• 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.
• All individuals who test positive may be considered as true positives and no repeat testing is required.
• All test positive individuals are advised to follow home isolation and care as per the ICMR & Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) protocol which can be accessed at: https://www.icmr.gov.in/chomecare.html.

• All symptomatic individuals who test negative by RAT should get themselves immediately tested by RTPCR. This is especially important as the RATs are likely to miss few positive cases presenting with a low viral load.
• All RAT negative symptomatic individuals may be treated as suspect COVID-19 cases and are advised to follow the ICMR/MoH&FW home isolation protocol while awaiting the RTPCR test result.
• All results may be interpreted as per the protocol laid down by the manufacturer in the user manual (pictorial and video link of the user manual is provided below against the name of the approved test kit).
• Manufacturer’s instructions must be strictly followed for disposal of the test kit, swab and other materials.

Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions Ltd has developed CoviSelfTM (PathoCatch) COVID-19 OTC Antigen LF device and an app is developed to guide individuals to take up this test. This home testing for Covid-19 would certainly relieve many government and private laboratories which are under pressure and there are also reports that they are charging double the amount which was fixed by the government.