Rapid antigen tests start in areas outside Delhi’s containment zones

NEW DELHI: Scaling up its testing capacity, Delhi government on Friday started conducting rapid antigen detection tests outside the containment zones in all 11 districts in the capital.
According to an official, special teams formed by the district authorities took samples of a cross-section of people on Friday. Some districts started the process on Thursday itself.Since there is no centralised compiling of the test results yet, the percentage of people testing positive is not known.
There is an enhanced focus on testing now as the positivity rate in Delhi has been going down for the past one week, which, many believe, is a sign that Covid-19 is finally under check.
According to the health bulletin released by the health and family welfare department on Friday, out of the 24,155 tests conducted on Thursday, 13,588 were rapid antigen tests. An official said the number of samples taken on Friday would be much more. “Each district has been given a target of testing 2,000 people every day. Though they did not meet the target, all districts conducted 1,200-1,600 tests,” said the official.
The rapid antigen detection tests have been started to scale up the ongoing process of identifying symptomatic patients and isolating them immediately. A source said the district magistrates had been asked to set up additional testing centres and double up their daily testing capacity. Some district administrations such as Central, West and South have also deployed mobile teams in special buses to move around and collect samples.
While initially the rapid antigen detection tests were being conducted only on high-risk contacts and those living in the containment zones, Indian Council of Medical Research recently issued fresh guidelines to take all people under its ambit.
All symptomatic people with influenza-like illness (ILI) in the containment zones or hotspots and asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of confirmed cases with other ailments are being tested with rapid antigen detection kits.
These kits are used for all ILI patients in hospitals apart from asymptomatic patients who are either hospitalised or seeking hospitalisation for chemotherapy and transplants and those above the age of 65 years with comorbidities.
According to an official, Delhi government recently procured about six lakh antigen detection kits and another order of five lakh kits have been placed.
Different districts have shortlisted their own target groups for conducting the tests. While in some areas, the frontline Covid workers are being tested with antigen kits, essential service providers are being given priority in some others. In a few districts, health teams have been taking samples of random people on first-come-first-served basis, a source said.
Anyone testing positive is immediately referred to district health teams, which decide between hospitalisation and home isolation depending on the severity of symptoms, age and comorbidities.