India’s premier research lab the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) is set to receive 700,000 rapid anti-body testing kits by 8 April, which will expedite the testing process in COVID-19 hotspots in the country by producing results more quickly.
Rapid test kits are capable of delivering results in 15 minutes.
“These kits will get deliver in phases. It is expected that ICMR will get 500,000 (half a million) kits in the first phase. Orders have already been placed”, the ICMR stated.
The development comes after the medical research body on Saturday issued an advisory to conduct rapid testing in areas where large numbers of COVID-19 cases have been reported and also among migration gatherings.
The research lab stated in its circular that several national and international companies have lined up to provide rapid testing kits to India.
Explaining that the testing may be disseminated to various states and federally-administered territories, ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava said, "The same may please be further disseminated to all States/Union Territories along with operational guidelines for implementation and roles and responsibilities for implementation".
In a separate development, the US-based multi-national food and beverage company PepsiCo’s India arm, in collaboration with the PepsiCo Foundation, has pledged 25,000 testing kits to diagnostic and healthcare facilities in the country, along with a promise to provide with five million meals to the needy under its global #GiveMealsGiveHope programme.
Per the latest update from the Indian Health Ministry, the country has 4,067 cases of COVID-19 and has witnessed 109 deaths. While 291 people have been cured and discharged, a total of 89,534 samples had been tested as of 5 April.