Rajasthan Stops Using Rapid Testing Kits After Finding Most Results Inaccurate, Asks ICMR To Return Them

The Rajasthan government on Tuesday (21 April) informed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that it stopped the use of rapid coronavirus testing kits as they gave inaccurate results, The Economic Times reported.

According to state Health Minister Raghu Sharma, the kits provided accurate results only upto 5.4 per cent, whereas the accuracy level was expected to be at 90 per cent. They were of no benefit, Sharma added.

The accuracy of 5.4 per cent was found by a committee of heads of medicine and microbiology departments at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh government hospital that was setup to examine the kits.

"As per the advice of the committee, we have stopped testing from the rapid testing kits. We have written to the ICMR about it and their response is awaited," the minister said, while informing that a total of 168 tests were conducted using those kits.

In order to be completely sure, the rapid testing kits were also used to re-test the patients who had already tested positive with coronavirus by PCR based testing. The results were again negative and raised questions about the credibility of these kits, Sharma said.

"If the ICMR's response comes in our favour, the kits could be returned," he said.

Aimed at pacing up the screening and detection of suspected COVID-19 cases, the rapid testing kits conduct testing through blood samples. They, however, didi not offer confirmatory testing as it was required to test a person through PCR method once he/she tests positive on rapid testing kit.

Rajasthan had been using the kits in the hotspots, mainly Jaipur, since Friday last week.