Home testing kits: Many Covid-19 cases go off BBMP radar

BENGALURU: Home testing kits for Covid-19, easily available over the counter in neighbourhood pharmacy shops across Bengaluru, have emerged as a new headache for the BBMP and patients too.
Given that infections are not as severe as the previous waves, people are using these kits and are also isolating themselves without bothering to alert authorities.However, patients seeking hospitalisation when symptoms worsen are realising the pitfalls of keeping their infections off the radar of health authorities.
Sowmya Rao, a chef at a restaurant, took a home-safe kit Covid-19 test on January 15, and found she was carrying the virus. “As a responsible citizen I isolated myself. But there is no mechanism in place for the BBMP to follow up on me. This is upsetting,” Rao said.
Lalith Rajashekar tested positive with home kit on January 9 and immediately isolated himself, but things worsened later. “On January 12, I could not breathe and after checking the reading on the saturation machine at home, I noticed the count had dropped drastically. When I tried to block a hospital bed and get admitted through BBMP, they asked me for a BU number. I didn’t have one,” Rajashekar said. He had to take another test at a private hospital and then get admitted.
BBMP too is worried about the consequences of a huge number of people testing positive at home and staying off its radar. KV Trilok Chandra, special commissioner (health), said people may be using these kits to avoid coming under the radar of officials from the Palike or the health department.
Tracking them down
“We are contacting chemists and taking a record for how many such kits have been distributed. We have also asked chemists to obtain contact details and addresses of customers purchasing these kits,” Chandra said.
On Sunday, the government, in a circular, mandated that pharmacists and drug shop owners collect details of people buying home testing kits and that they should also inform buyers that if they test positive they must inform a government hospital or a doctor of the result.
Ravindra Kumar MJ, secretary, Bengaluru Chemists and Druggists Association, said nearly 12,000 kits are sold daily across the city. “These kits cost anywhere between Rs 250- 350. It is affordable for most people and it gives instant results, reducing panic,” Kumar said.
Will follow norms
He, however, conceded that the kits are affecting BBMP’s vigilance, and thus they will follow the order issued by the government.
Mahesh Pawar, a medical shop owner in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, said that he sold close to 85 kits on Monday alone. “People use apps such as Dunzo or Swiggy to get these kits delivered to their homes,” he said.