The ‘CoviSelf’ COVID-19 home test kit has approved. Here You’ll find everything you need to know.
On Thursday, Mylab Discovery Solutions declared that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had approved CoviSelf, the country’s first self-use rapid antigen test for Covid-19.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approve the first test kit for COVID-19 on Wednesday. to respond to the country’s rising coronavirus cases and increase pressure on laboratories to reach the testing deadline.
The FDA-approved home-based rapid antigen testing (RAT) kit costs ₹250 and provides results in 15 minutes.
Home-based-test kits, according to researchers, can be helpful for spotting runaway infection and early detection in areas with a high infection rate.
These research kits also have used in developing countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.
We are here to tell you what you need to know about the latest testing kit, COVISELF.
- What is the purpose of the test kit?
Mylab Discovery Solutions, based in Pune, has developed the country’s first self-use research kit. It is CoviSelf, and it’s a quick antigen test kit (RAT). Rapid antigen experiments usually consider being less sensitive than RT-PCR experiments taken in a lab. That means it can produce false negatives in the case of a minor or undetectable infection. Because there is a huge load, the findings are more accurate results.
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved the home test kit Coviself for sale, and as we are expecting that it will be available within a week. The research kit is known to be very user-friendly and non-biohazardous. It also includes a disposal bag.
- Who can make use of it?
According to the ICMR’s directive, this test kit can only use for people who have COVID-19 symptoms or have come into touch with laboratory-confirmed positive cases.
If you have signed, but the RAT kit comes out negative, you can request an RT-PCR test from the hospital.
Individuals who score positive for the RAT kit considered real positives and do not need to test again.
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are considered suspect cases and recommends adopting a home isolation protocol.
- What is the best way to use CoviSelf?
A pre-filled extraction tube, a clean nasal swab, one test card, and a biohazard bags is in the test kit.
To use the test pack, the user must first download the Mylab Coviself home-testing mobile app.
The software has detailed instructions for how to use the training kit and analyzing the data.
To perform the procedure, place the nasal swab in both nostrils for 2 to 4 cm or until resistance is sensed.
Roll the swab in both nostrils 4-5 times, then insert it in the pre-filled tube and close the lid.
Fill the measuring card with two drops of liquid from the tube and wait 15 minutes for the results.
In general, detecting a positive case takes 5-7 minutes, but it recommended that you have to wait for 15 minutes.
Any result that takes more than 20 minutes to appear is considered invalid.
- What is the best way to interpret the result?
The test card has two sections: a control section and a test section.
If the bar occurs only in the control section (C) after inserting the liquid in it, the result is negative; if the bar appears in both the control and test sections (T), the virus has found, and you have been tested positive.
Once you’ve checked, you’ll need to take a snapshot of the test strip from the same phone you used to download the app and register.
The software will record the test results and send them to the ICMR COVID-19 research site, saving all of the information.
The availability of this research kit will help test laboratories with some of their workloads. It will help in the early detection of cases so that care can begin.