Kerala on Friday became the first state in India to receive rapid-polymerase chain reaction (rapid-PCR) testing kits from Pune-based Mylab, which can reduce the testing time for coronavirus considerably and prevent community spread of coronavirus.

Kerala has also sought the Centre’s permission to procure a batch of rapid testing kits from Hong Kong that take blood swabs and can deliver test results even quicker. The state’s testing centre at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in Thiruvananthapuram said it can now test as many as 3,000 samples in 24 hours. In contrast, the Kerala field station of the National Institute of Virology, Alappuzha, can test 70 samples in two days.

The state is set to become the biggest testing centre for the virus in India, with 10 government laboratories for testing covid-19 samples. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have 13 and 10 government labs, respectively. Some states have allowed private laboratories to operate as testing centres.

“The current tests are designed to find genetic material from the virus by testing a person’s nose and throat samples, which indicate an ongoing infection, but will take days, depending on the facilities and technicians available. The rapid tests can bring this time frame down to 20 minutes to two hours," said Amar Fettle, a doctor, and Kerala’s nodal officer of the task force to stop the spread of covid-19.

“Rapid tests check for protective antibodies in a finger prick of blood. It could indicate exposure to infection," said Fettle.

“The rapid-PCR testing kits take nose or throat swabs. While the normal PCR kits would take 6-7 hours for testing, this will get a result with 2.5 hours," said Rohit Suresh, an assistant to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who played a key role in getting the first batch of rapid-PCR testing kits for Kerala. He successfully negotiated for 3,000 Mylab kits worth ₹57 lakh and made arrangements to transport them.

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