RT PCR Test

Ebola virus may persist in the body longer than believed, with new findings revealing its presence in breast milk weeks after a mother's recovery. Despite negative blood tests, a woman in the DRC had detectable viral RNA in her placenta and milk, raising concerns about infant transmission.

The health department is getting its manpower trained to set up rt pcr testing centre at Government Multi-specialty Hospital, Sector 16. The aim is to conduct over 500 tests in that facility a day, as cases have more than doubled since 87 on March10 to 211 on March19.

The number of RTPCR tests in Bhopal have seen a sizeable increase over the past few days. While rapid antigen tests (RAT) were far more than RT-PCR tests in the past, now people are preferring the latter over the former. It is being seen as a result of the Delhi government’s diktat that only persons having a negative RT-PCR reportwould be allowed entry to the city.

The district and civic authorities will start screening and if need be perform rapid antigen test (RAT) on rail, road passengers an

Domestic air passengers travelling within airports of Maharashtra do not need to undergo an RT-PCR test, clarified BMC on Monday.

The capacity of government laboratories to carry out RT-PCR tests appears to have maxed out, leading to a momentary slowdown in testing. TOI has learnt the ratio of RT-PCR that had gone up to 75% in March is now down to 60% with antigen tests filling in the gap.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday pointed out the overreliance of Odisha, besides Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, on antigen tests for Covid-19, prompting the state to review its testing strategy.

The state government on Tuesday reduced the Rapid RT-PCR test cost to Rs1,975 from the current rate of Rs4,500 and issued a government resolution (GR) regarding it.

Authorities in different districts of the capital are going to put stress on RT-PCR tests in the wake of Delhi high court asking the Delhi government why it is not ramping up the gold standard test as per the ICMR guidelines.

Tamil Nadu completed RT-PCR tests for Covid 19 on at least one crore people by Thursday when more than 2,348 people tested positive. The case tally touched 7,36,777 cases. Toll reached 11,272 after 28 people were reported dead. On Thursday, 19,061 people were still under treatment.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s prod to increase the share of RT-PCR tests on Wednesday, the state government on Friday decided to increase daily number of tests using this method to 10,150. The RT PCR target so far was 7,300 per day but was hardly met.

Lack of adequate RT-PCR testing facilities in the rural parts of many districts of the state is impacting the final weekly Covid positivity rate.

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Delhi government on a petition against the latter's decision to cap the cost of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for Covid-19 at Rs 800.

Amid concerns over the steep cost of Rapid RT-PCR test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) -- at Rs 4,500 it was the highest among most metros – authorities slashed the rate of the Covid-19 test, on Friday. The revised price is Rs 3,900.

The state government announced on Wednesday that rates of RT-PCR tests and HRCT scans have been slashed.

Delhi government reduced the rate of an RT-PCR test from Rs 2,400 to Rs 800 from Monday evening.

The Maharashtra health department this week asked the state-run 105 laboratories to ramp up RT-PCR testing against the backdrop of a possible third wave of Covid-19.

Days after the state government further reduced the price of RT-PCR tests in the state, the health department has also capped the rate of rapid RT-PCR tests conducted at airports, among other places.

The Bengal government on Thursday reduced the cost of RT-PCR test by nearly half to Rs 500, bringing it on a par with other metros. The cost of the gold standard test for detecting the Covid-19 virus was capped at Rs 950 a year ago. The new rate will be effective immediately. Home collection charge of an additional Rs 15 per kilometre is unchanged.

The Gujarat government on Wednesday decided to slash rates of RT-PCR tests being conducted by private laboratories to Rs 400 from the existing Rs 700.

UT administrator VP Singh Badnore on Wednesday directed the health department to enhance rt pcr testing and to send swab samples of Covid-19 patients to National Institute of Virology, Pune, for genome sequencing, to determine the strain of the virus.

Scarcity of testing kits has brought RT-PCR tests of teachers to a halt in several districts of Assam.

A large number of people on Thursday visited the government and private testing centres where RT-PCR tests were carried out without prescription of a registered medical practitioner. Residents of Delhi can now get themselves tested for Covid-19 through RT-PCR, without a doctor’s prescription. The facility began on Thursday and several people reached the centres with Aadhaar cards for RT-PCR tests on Day 1.

Flyers going for the RT-PCR test at the city airport on arrival would now save Rs550 each, after downward revision of its price.

Only 13 out of 35 state districts have registered more RT-PCR tests than Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) in the last three days, after the state government issued orders of ‘Levels of Restrictions for Safe Maharashtra’ early on Saturday, which will assess weekly positive rate only on RT-PCR tests, and not on RAT.