Chennai: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan today said that faulty antibody test kits will be returned irrespective of which country they were procured from, including China.
He said this during an interaction with Health ministers of various States. The meeting was held through a video conference.
He told State Health Ministers that the Union government was willing to extend all help to States and added that senior officers were sent to States not as monitors but to support the States in their fight against Coronavirus. These teams have been sent to help different States so that the Centre gets feedback on Coronavirus situation for the way forward, the Minister said.
Union Minister of State for health and family welfare Ashwini Choubey was also present. After advising States not to use the newly distributed rapid testing kits to detect coronavirus infection for the next two days, the ICMR issued a protocol reiterating their usage for surveillance purpose while stating that RT-PCR tests must be continued vigorously as the principal diagnostic test for COVID-19.
In view of the issues raised by a few states about the rapid test kits, Additional Director General of Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR), Dr GS Toteja in his letter to Chief Secretaries of states and UTs on Wednesday said ICMR has always emphasised that RT-PCR test of throat and/or nasal swab is the confirmatory test for detection of COVID-19 at an early stage.