Indian Minister of State for Education Shri Sanjay Dhotre unveiled a new rapid Covid-19 antigen test kit developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi on 25 June 2021. The test kit has been created by a team led by Dr Harpal Singh, professor at the Institute’s Centre for Biomedical Engineering. Available for just Rs 50, the test is expected to produce results in five minutes via an in vitro detection of the virus through nasal and throat swabs and deep sputum samples. The test kit has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Biomedical engineers from Duke University have demonstrated that a tablet-sized device can detect multiple Covid-19 antibodies and biomarkers simultaneously. Initial results showed that the test can differentiate between antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and four other coronaviruses with 100% accuracy. The researchers are now working on determining whether the easy-to-use, point-of-care device can predict the severity of Covid-19 infection, as well as an individual’s immunity against its variants.
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Residents of certain blocks in the Bukit Merah and Redhill areas of Singapore are expected to collect antigen rapid test kits at their nearest Residents’ Committee Centre, as part of Ministry of Health efforts to curb community transmission in these areas. The MOH stated that apart from conducting special testing operations in the area, it is also investigating multiple Covid-19 cases, as well as visitors in the vicinity, along with deploying wastewater testing in the area.
