A Pune based company has designed a self-test kit for Covid which will give results in 15 minutes. No covid suspect needs to wait in long queues for the RT-PCR tests and can very conveniently self-test at home.

The kit has been designed by Pune based Mylab Discovery Solutions and has won the approval of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The kit is priced at 250 rupees and will be available at pharmacies without a prescription.

"Users of this test will not need sample collection by a healthcare professional. This will ease pressure on already overburdened testing labs and reduce delays in testing, which is more than 72 hours in some parts of the country," Mylab said.

There will be all testing materials, instruction for use leaflet, and a biohazard bag for safe disposal in the self-test kit. The test is designed to be done using nasal swab (not the deep nasopharyngeal swab) to reduce the discomfort (from individuals aged 18 years and older or with adult collected samples from individuals aged 2 years and older).

The company also said that people who get negative result but still continue to show Covid like symptoms should seek follow-up care from their healthcare provider.

(sources:ht and bs)