Rajasthan starts testing for COVID-19 with Rapid Antibody Test kits, says CM Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot anunced that testing of people for vel Coronavirus using Rapid Antibody Test has started in state from Friday. He claimed that Rajasthan is first in country to conduct such rapid tests. On first day, 60 tests were conducted, all of which were found to be negative, he furr informed.

READ | Rajasthan To Conduct Rapid Testing To Identify Coronavirus Patients In Time: CM Gehlot

Gehlot in a series of tweets said that testing has begun after receiving 10,000 Rapid Antibody Test kits. He said that 50,000 kits are due by Friday night and two lakh kits will arrive in three days. " rapid test is t a confirmatory test, so system of RT-PCR test will continue as before. re will be reduction in this," CM stated.

READ | Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Says His Team Is Devoted To Fighting Coronavirus Pandemic

What in Anti-Body Test?

According to U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC), serology (antibody) test looks for presence of antibodies, which are specific proteins made in response to infections. Antibodies can be found in blood and in or tissues of those who are tested after infection. antibodies detected by this test indicate that a person had an immune response to Coronavirus, wher symptoms developed from infection or infection was asymptomatic.

Antibody test results are important in detecting infections with few or symptoms. However, head of ICMR's Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases-I Division, Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar has said that se tests are meant to detect anti-bodies and could t be used for diagsis of disease.

READ | Enforce Containment Measures Ruthlessly: Ashok Gehlot Tells Officials

COVID-19 testing in every district

Ashok Gehlot also said that work has been started on setting up labs for COVID-19 testing in every district of state. "Due to large population and industrial units, this lab is being set up first in Alwar. Rapid tests will also be conducted for home sellers of vegetable vendors, food items etc." said CM.

"re has been reduction in number of coronavirus testing in state. number of positive cases has decreased in last few days, this does t mean that number of tests has been reduced. Rajasthan has highest number of tests being conducted in country. So far, 42,751 tests have been done."

READ | 'Withdrawal Of Lockdown A Major Challenge,' Says Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan has so far reported 1,131 cases of COVID-19, of which 164 have recovered while 11 have died. It's fifth hardest-hit State in country with highly contagious epidemic.

(im credit: PTI)