Expert suggests Telangana to follow WHO mantra for Covid test

Hyderabad: Even as debate continues whether the governments should or should not over depend on the rapid testing in comparison to the more accurate RT-PCR method to identify the Covid-19 infection, WHO backed the former method if testing is being done on a large scale. RT-PCR results take a long time which is not ideal as chances of viral load rapidly increasing in an affected and report-waiting individual cannot be ruled out and also, there are chances of others in contact with him further getting infected in the meantime.

In Telangana, the number of tests being done per day is in the range of 20,000, out of which two-thirds are rapid tests while the remaining one-third are being done through RT-PCR method. According to WHO, the ideal way is to use rapid antigen testing first so that you have the RT-PCR based testing as the secondary test.

It is said that if we have the test results in four or five days or even longer that is not going to help us. So, rapid tests which give results quickly are a positive thing.

Getting time in hand from testing to confirming the status of the patient is the single most important thing at present. There's no point having a test result a week later when public health action is late, WHO officials said.

If there is a limited capacity in laboratories, the focus should be on detecting suspect cases and confirming those cases along with isolating them, quarantining those in contact, and following it up with all the required measures. That is the most efficient use of testing at the current time.

The world health body said that difficulty with antigen tests was that they tend not to be sensitive enough and miss infections. So, the best procedure is to use the antigen tests first and the authorities can isolate those who are positive or are very likely to be positive and start taking necessary action. Those who are negative can go on to have a second test, that is an RT-PCR test which allows you to use an antigen test more effectively. Testing is a crucial aspect of containment strategy, stated Kiran Madala, Associate Professor, GMC, Nizamabad.

"Telangana is conducting 394 tests per million per day. We should encourage rapid testing which will give results in a short period. False or negative results should be dealt with as per the ICMR guidelines. RT-PCR system is robust. It should be reserved as a second-line strategy to confirm false negatives of rapid tests," Kiran added.