Karnataka Govt Orders One Lakh Rapid Antigen Test Kits To Bolster State's Covid-19 Testing Capacity

In a boost to Karnataka's fight against COVID-19 pandemic, the state government led by Chief Minister (CM) B S Yediyurappa has placed orders for 1 lakh rapid antigen testing kits, reports Times of India.

With the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise in the state, the rapid antigen testing kits will help bolster the state's capacity to identify those who have contracted the virus and contain the spread.

The first batch of the new antigen testing kits will arrive in Bengaluru by Saturday (11 July), following which the State will deploy these for use from the next week onwards in mobile ambulances, flu clinics and door-to-door surveys.

It should be noted that rapid antigen testing kits deliver outputs of the tested sample within 30 minutes, which is remarkably short span compared to RT-PCR testing kits which take as much as 24 hours to deliver the outcome.

The state government plans to conduct around 2,000 rapid antigen tests each day, primarily for the frontline workers.