Has the Tamil Nadu chief secretary let the cat out of the bag? While briefing the media in Chennai on Saturday, after the conclusion of the state cabinet meeting, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K Shanmugam said there is a delay in receiving the rapid antibody test kits Tamil Nadu had ordered because the consignment, meant for India, had been diverted to the United States by China.

The bureaucrat informed that the state had placed an order of a total of 4 lakh test kits with the Centre, of which 1 lakh was expected from China. Shanmugam said though the production of rapid antibody test kits was limited to China, it had sent one consignment to the USA.

This could possibly explain the constant delay in India receiving its order of 5 lakh rapid antibody test kits that it had placed with a Chinese firm on March 28.

At least four deadlines for delivery have been missed so far, adding to India's wait for conducting more tests to detect the spread of Covid-19 among its citizens.

Rapid antibody tests are quicker and inexpensive alternative to the standard RT-PCR tests being conducted currently in the country.

The advisory to start rapid antibody-based blood tests for Covid-19 was issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on April 4. It authorised for the tests to be conducted in areas reporting clusters (containment zone) and in large migration gatherings/evacuee centres.

But the first order for the rapid antibody test kits was placed on March 28, and since then deadlines have only come and gone.

Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, Head of Epidemiology at ICMR, told the media on Saturday, "We are yet to receive the rapid antibody test kits. The supplier has said it will take another 2-3 days."

Due to the delay in the arrival of the first batch of test kits, ICMR is unable to ramp up the order to at least 50 lakh, as has been already internally approved.

In fact, as opposed to its initial requirement of 10 lakh test kits, for which it had invited Indian bidders on March 25, it was compelled to revise the order down to 5 lakh after no bidder came forward.

This delay is only setting back India in its quest to test more people for coronavirus, which is the only way to accurately determine the size of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country and subsequently curtail it.

In fact, on Saturday, in the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a videoconference, several chief ministers reiterated their demands for rapid antibody test kits for their respective states.

Even in the case of personal protective equipment (PPE) or specialised safety gear for doctors and medical practitioners at the forefront of the battle against Covid-19, delays by the government in placing orders with the 39 domestic manufacturers identified for production, could have placed at risk thousands of healthcare professionals.

Reports indicate that some of the orders were placed just as India was going into its three-week nationwide lockdown on March 25. With the lockdown in place, manufacture and supply of PPEs may have disrupted.

However, the government has tried to allay fears. Recently, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal told the media that an order of 1.7 crore PPEs have been placed and supplies have begun. He added that 49,000 ventilators have also been ordered.

Lav Aggarwal, however, urged states to use the PPEs "rationally", in the face of the growing demand for safety gear.

"There is a fear that everyone needs PPEs. Everyone does not need PPEs. A PPE is a mix of different components - like boots, N95 masks, overall, and headgear. People at high risk must use all components. For those at moderate risk, masks and gloves are sufficient," he explained.