India's Export Of Surplus COVID-19 Testing Kits Projected To Touch 62 Crore Units By September 2021: ICMR

In a big boost for the Government's Make in India pitch and push for the building of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has projected that India's export of COVID-19 testing kits is set to touch a cumulative total of 62 crore units till September 2021, reports Times of India.

In a tweet on Tuesday (17 August), ICMR stated that the body and the Government's Department of Health are supporting the manufacturers to export surplus quantities of COVID-19 diagnostics kits after meeting the in-country demand.

ICMR further stated that the production capacity of COVID-19 testing kits has been substantially enhanced, making India 'atmanirbhar' (self-reliant). This has resulted in a significant reduction in cost and improved availability of testing kits in the country.

"The projected export till September 2021 is a cumulative total of 62 crore test kits of RT-PCR, Viral Transport Media (VTM), RNA extraction and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT)," the ICMR said.

It should be noted that about a year and a half ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, India was a net importer of COVID-19 testing kits.