@ICMRDELHI must make the validation protocol of rapid antibody testing kits in light of these kits being deemed 'faulty,' after import of nearly five lakh at close to Rs 26 crore. Read what this means for centre/states here - thehindubusinessline.com/news/analysis-… @businessline #Thread
Everything that @ICMRDELHI did wrong while going in for the Chinese kits. It had been raising purchase orders since April 3, but no company would supply. Read how procurements were delayed in this story on April 15 - thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/… @businessline
On April 16, @ICMRDELHI said that the kits had arrived from China. 5 lakh of them. From Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech, Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics. Another 1.5 lakh from a company in Shenzhen were on their way - thehindubusinessline.com/news/rapid-ant… @businessline
While kits were on their way to be distributed to states, read how the states have already begun charting out testing strategies in advance, and do not trust rapid kits but are going with conventional RT-PCR. Insights from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu @businessline thehindubusinessline.com/blink/cover/ho…
@ICMRDELHI despatches kits to states without batch wise quality control. Rajasthan rapid antibody tests 168 patients (who are RT-PCR) +ve, finds only 5.4 per cent accuracy. April 22, ICMR asks states to halt tests, goes to field to do batch quality control thehindubusinessline.com/news/icmr-asks…
UK paid $20 million for these Chinese kits, note the name of Wondfo company, which was later bought by India too. The noise about kits not working in UK was on since close to April 5 @ICMRDELHI still went ahead and placed purchase orders. Read this from UK nytimes.com/2020/04/16/wor…
While waiting for centre to give them rapid kits, Rajasthan separately had placed an order of two lakh Chinese kits which got stuck in customs, said @RaghusharmaINC, health minister. When state wrote to 12 ICMR approved companies, only 3 Chinese, 1 Korean company replied 4 supply
@RaghusharmaINC said ICMR gave them 30000 kits separately, of which 168 tried did not work!
Tamil Nadu raised a purchase order for Wondfo kits at state level with an Indian distributor on April 6 for Rs 3.36 crore for 50,000 kits at a price of Rs 600 per kit. Later health secretary Beela Rajesh said TN not depending on rapid tests. Don't know if they were delivered.
Remember Korean company who wouldn't deliver until they were sure. It's SD Biosensors producg kits in Manesar facility, while Chinese companies manufacture abroad. Chattisgarh now buying 75000 kits at Rs 325 per kit from SD Biosensors expecting delivery anytime soon @TS_SinghDeo
Meanwhile what is Indian govt doing. It is scrambling to now do batch wise quality control of Chinese kits. It is wanting companies to do Make In India for rapid antibody kits that will at least take one more month. We need more testing! @businessline @malini_aisola
@TS_SinghDeo "only Chattisgarh alone, considering 10 pct of it's population is hypothetically infected with #COVID19 needs 3 lakh tests. No automated RT-PCR in state, rapid kits not accurate, testing is nowhere close to state's needs. Entire India tested that much till now."
@RaghusharmaINC said there is acute shortage of nuclear extraction kits used for RT-PCR tests in Rajasthan. @ICMRDELHI supplies these kits to states. Raj had to send it's backlog of throat, nose samples to @lalpathlabs in Delhi to clear as it lacks infra to do in-house testing.
@ICMRDELHI @MoHFW_INDIA have mess to sort out at two levels - get enough RT-PCR kits to ramp up testing, and make validation protocol for quality control of 'faulty' rapid antibody kits, crores of which spent by centre and states to procure, in ramping up testing strategy.
Meanwhile look what Bengal said about rapid antibody kits
