Rapid kits in, states plan own roadmaps for use: from red zones, to those in frontlines

STATES which have received rapid test kits, either from the Centre or sourced independently, are devising own strategies on how to use them. While some like Chhattisgarh plan to use these as tracers to check for community transmission, others like Goa and Karnataka are prioritising it for persons with ILI (influenza-like illness) symptoms, some others like Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand plan to focus on hotspots or red zones, and Mumbai and Haryana for testing frontline healthcare, police and sanitation workers.

Kerala, which expects 1,00,000 anti-body detection kits to arrive in a day, has already planed its deployment in good detail: health workers who have exposure to patients/ potential positive cases/ their contacts in all 14 districts — 25,000; vulnerable population aged above 60 in all districts — 20,000; persons under quarantine in all districts but in proportion to the number of persons under observation in each — 25,000; police/ local level people’s representatives/ anganwadi teachers/ field workers — 25,000; the balance 5,000 for validating the accuracy of the kits.

Goa, which received 4,000 kits Saturday morning, plans to test people shortlisted by the state health department showing ILI symptoms (cold, cough, mild fever, sore throat) following a house-to-house survey. Jharkhand and J&K, which received 4,500 and 12,000 kits, respectively, plan to use it in hotspots or red zones first. J&K plans to test individuals at the nucleus of such zones, and then move towards the periphery. It also plans to use the rapid test kits on frontline health workers.

In Chhattisgarh, which has procured 75,000 kits from Korean company SD Biosensors, which has a manufacturing facility in Manesar, Haryana, plans to use the kits as ‘tracers’. “For me, there are no green districts. They are barely yellow. Unless we know for sure, we can’t claim that they are green,” state Health Minister T S Singh Deo said.

According to Singh Deo, since the kits come with only 70% probability, they are not for specific testing. “In fact, they are going to be used in districts to check for community transmission, so that we know the actual figures.”

 Medics at the real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction laboratory (PCR lab) at the Kalamassery Medical College Hospital in Kochi. (PTI)

The state health department plans to map the districts and get random testing done with the kits. “We are developing a mathematical system where we can check people with higher number of contacts and identify potential regions of the spread, even if the patients are asymptomatic. With the help of the kits, we are going to look at larger areas and have faster results,” a Chhattisgarh health official said.

Haryana, with 10,000 kits received from the ICMR on Friday, plans to use it in hotspots of Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Panchkula. It will also use them to test frontline workers from health, police and sanitation departments, besides those in delivery of services such as fruits and vegetable vendors. It will also start random sampling of those who start working in industries from April 20.

 The state health department plans to map the districts and get random testing done with the kits.

In Karnataka, which got 11,400 kits so far, these will be used to test persons with symptoms of Covid-19 and ILI. These include patients identified during house-to-house surveys in containment zones, those visiting designated fever clinics, and patients in large migratory gatherings/ shelters.

Having obtained 100,000 rapid testing kits from SD Biosensors, South Korea, Andhra Pradesh plans to test 10,000 cases daily starting Saturday. KS Jawahar Reddy, Special Chief Secretary (Health), said the kits would be dispatched to all 13 districts in three days and doctors were being given special training to handle the kits.

Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has placed orders for 200,000 kits from different private players, but is yet to receive any. Officials said the kits would be used to test civic staffers first. “The idea is to check how many BEST drivers, conductors and health care workers have been exposed to coronavirus and developed immunity against Covid-19,” said Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi.

 A new swab testing centre was opened at Podar Hospital in Worli on Saturday. (Express photo/Nirmal Harindran)

“After they are tested, those who have developed immunity will be given field jobs while those who have not developed antibodies or not yet been exposed to the virus will be given desk jobs. Food delivery partners may be tested next to allow free movement on field. The idea is to progress slowly towards herd immunity,” he said.

West Bengal is yet to receive the kits. Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said the kits would be used in the containment zones first. While the state has placed an order for 30,000 kits, it hopes to get 50,000 from ICMR too.

Tamil Nadu plans to use its available 36,000 kits (12,000 from ICMR and 24,000 out of 4 lakh ordered from a Chinese supplier) in hotspots Chennai, Coimbatore and Salem. Kits have already reached these three districts. The state also plans to use these kits to test a larger population with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and ILI cases besides secondary contacts and asymptomatic people with exposure to hotspot areas or suspected cases.

Uttar Pradesh, which has received over 30,000 rapid test kits from ICMR, is still making a detailed plan on its deployment. “For now, we plan to use these for those in quarantine areas and in hotspot zones. We will be testing those in quarantine before sending them home,” said Amit Mohan Prasad, Principal Secretary (Health).

INDIAN EXPRESS