News Analysis India

Tag: COVID test

  • Low-cost smartphone based test can accurately detect COVID-19 in 20 minutes

    By PTI

    WASHINGTON: Researchers in the US have developed a low-cost smartphone based diagnostic tool for COVID-19 that combines the speed of over-the-counter antigen tests with the accuracy of PCR tests.

    The Harmony COVID-19 test developed by researchers at the University of Washington in the US detects genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the researchers said.

    While the conventional PCR tests can take several hours, the Harmony kit can provide results in less than 20 minutes for some samples and with similar accuracy, they said.

    “We designed the test to be low-cost and simple enough that it could be used anywhere,” said Bary Lutz, an associate professor at the University of Washington.

    “We hope that the low cost will make high-performance testing more accessible locally and around the world,” said Lutz, senior author of the research paper published in the journal Science Advances.

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    The test uses a “PCR-like” method to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome in a nasal swab sample with the aid of a small, low-cost detector.

    A smartphone is used to operate the detector and read the results, the researchers said.

    The detector can handle up to four samples at a time and would fit into a standard car’s glove compartment, they said.

    The accuracy of COVID-19 tests has been a pressing matter throughout the pandemic.

    Many at-home antigen kits for COVID-19, which detect pieces of the proteins the virus creates instead of its genetic material, are 80-85 accurate.

    The researchers noted that the accuracy of antigen kits may drop with the Omicron variant, which harbours a relatively high number of mutations not found in other strains.

    PCR tests are generally 95 per cent accurate or better but require expensive equipment and a long wait for results.

    Initial results show that the Harmony kit is 97 per cent accurate for nasal swabs, according to the researchers.

    The Harmony kit detects three different regions of the virus’ genome.

    If a new variant has many mutations in one region, the new test can still detect the other two, they said.

    It can, for example, detect the Omicron variant, which has dozens of mutations in the region of the genome that encodes the so-called spike protein, the researchers said.

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    Though tests based on PCR are highly accurate, a key limitation is that PCR tests require dozens of cycles of heating and cooling to detect genetic material in a sample.

    The new test overcomes this issue by relying on a method known as RT-LAMP, which doesn’t have the same stringent temperature-cycling requirements.

    “This test operates at a constant temperature, so it eliminates the time to heat and cool and gives results in about 20 minutes,” said Lutz.

    The team spun out a new company, Anavasi Diagnostics, to develop the Harmony prototype kit into a product and scale up manufacturing to help address the ongoing shortage of COVID-19 diagnostic tests.

    Lutz and colleagues hope the kits could be initially made available for use in clinics, as well as other settings such as workplaces and schools.

    Later, the researchers said they would like to adapt the test for home use.

  • COVID-19: Gujarat posts over 12 per cent positivity rate

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: The coronavirus positivity rate in Gujarat, where the overall infection tally has crossed the nine lakh-mark, currently stands at 12.3 per cent, data released by the government has revealed.

    District-wise Vadodara reported 24.4 per cent positivity rate on Saturday, followed by Rajkot at 20.8 per cent and Ahmedabad at 19.2 per cent, it said.

    A total of 74,611 tests were conducted across the state on Saturday to identify the infected persons.

    Of them, 9,177 tested positive, which took the state’s positivity rate to 12.3 per cent, the data updated on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard said.

    Positivity rate (or percent positive) is a measure to know how much coronavirus is spreading in a community.

    This rate gives information about the per cent of COVID-19 tests that come back as positive out of all the tests that were conducted during a specific period.

    Vadodara district reported 1,298 cases, out of the 5,325 samples tested during the day, which took its positivity rate to 24.4 per cent.

    Surat reported 11.8 per cent positivity rate, it said.

    As per the data, Ahmedabad logged the highest number of 2,666 COVID-19 cases on Saturday.

    At 13,902, the district also conducted the highest number of tests.

    Surat reported 2,496 positive cases out of the total 21,153 tests, while Rajkot recorded 587 such cases out of the 2,721 tests conducted during the day.

    Amid a rising number of positive cases, the number of micro containment zones demarcated by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) stood at 157 as on Saturday, as 22 zones were removed from the list, while 14 were added to it on the basis of the number of positive cases.

    The Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) on Sunday said that it will launch a helpline from Monday till January 31, wherein doctors will be roped in “to solve queries and confusions about new wave of COVID-19 infection”.

    On Saturday, Gujarat’s caseload increased to 9,16,090 and the recovery count to 8,46,375.

    A total 10,151 patients have died so far in the state, as per the state health department data.

  • Major test goof-up of Amritsar flyers

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  A majority of passengers, who had tested positive after returning from Italy in two chartered flights, have been found not infected in re-testing. Officials have now ordered a probe against a private laboratory as the passengers alleged that their test reports were false.

    Sources said that most of the passengers in two batches — 175 and 125 — who returned last week (January 5 and 6) in two different chartered flights to Amritsar from Rome tested positive at the Shri Guru Ramdas International Airport. 

    “A probe has been initiated by the Airports Authority of India against the alleged errant working of the laboratory. The services of the existing Delhi-based laboratory have been suspended,” Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Amarjit Singh said. “The lab was engaged on December 15 last year by the AAI. Now a new local laboratory has resumed its working at the airport.” 

    The passengers had raised a hue and cry at the airport that they were negative when they boarded the flights after their RT-PCR tests. How come could they turn positive once they landed, they had questioned.The passengers were asked to undergo institutional quarantine. However, when they refused, authorities at Amritsar allowed them to go to their native places where these passengers got their Covid tests done again. In those tests, their reports turned out to be negative.

    A passenger on the condition of anonymity said: “I travelled with my family. We were negative when we boarded the flight, but when we landed in Amritsar all of us tested positive. How is it possible?’’On Saturday, out of the 194 passengers which came on an Air India flight from Birmingham (United Kingdom), 25 tested positive and were sent for home quarantine. All European countries, including Italy, have been categorised as risk countries by the Union Health Ministry. 

  • Daily rise of COVID-19 cases in country lowest in 538 days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India recorded 8,488 new coronavirus infections, the lowest in 538 days, taking the country’s total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,45,18,901, while the active cases declined to 1,18,443, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

    The death toll climbed to 4,65,911 with 249 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

    The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 45 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 148 consecutive days now.

    The active cases comprise 0.34 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.31 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

    A decrease of 4271 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

  • Gujarat: RT-PCR test mandatory for people returning to Surat post Diwali holidays

    By PTI

    SURAT: In an attempt to prevent rise in COVID-19 cases, the civic body in Gujarat’s Surat city has made it mandatory for people to carry RT-PCR test reports while returning to the city after Diwali holidays, an official said on Wednesday.

    The test is mandatory for everyone, irrespective of whether they have taken both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the official said.

    According to the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), locals returning to the city post the Diwali holidays will have to mandatorily carry their RT-PCR reports not older than 72 hours.

    The precaution is being taken to ensure that the city doesn’t see any spike in COVID-19 cases, it said.

    A large number of people, especially migrant workers engaged in the city’s diamond and textile units, visit their hometowns during Diwali and people also go on vacations.

    An appeal has been made for people to get their mandatory RT-PCR test done, not more than 72 hours before their entry to the city after vacationing, said Pradeep Umarigar, municipal officer of health, SMC.

    “We also appeal to people to take their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine before going on vacations.

    Those who have recently tested COVID-19 positive will be given a relaxation,” the official said.

    The SMC will deploy teams at the airport, bus stands and road entry points to check the RT-PCR test reports of people returning to the city, he said, adding that the civic body will also provide facilities for RT-PCR tests for people who were unable to get tested earlier.

  • India conducts over 11 lakh COVID-19 tests in last 24 hours

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: In an effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, over 11 lakh samples were tested in the last 24 hours with which the total tests conducted so far crossed 58.88 crores, informed Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Friday.

    ALSO READ | Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur becomes India’s first fully Covid vaccinated district

    A total of 11,80,148 samples were tested on Thursday to detect the presence of the virus in the population. So far, 58,88,44,673 tests have been conducted across the country since the onset of the pandemic last year.

    Meanwhile, India on Thursday reported 18,987 new COVID-19 cases, 19,808 recoveries and 246 deaths. 

  • Will Smith-starrer Emancipation pauses production after positive COVID-19 tests  

    By Express News Service
    Will Smith’s upcoming runaway slave thriller film Emancipation, directed by Antoine Fuqua, has paused production following positive COVID-19 tests in the crew. The production of the film started two weeks ago in Louisiana, United States. According to Deadline, the shoot is expected to be paused for at least six days.

    Written by William N Collage, Emancipation will tell the story of Peter (Smith), who escaped the slavers and ran away to join the Union Army. A photo of his scorched back taken way back in 1863 is standing evidence of the horrors of slavery in the US. The film will be a thriller about the escape of Peter through the treacherous swamp of Louisana, outwitting hunters and their dogs. It is said that the film’s tone will be similar to Apocalypto (2006).

    Emancipation was originally slated to film in Georgia. However, Georgia’s controversial restrictive election law, signed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp, led to the project moving its production to Louisiana, where the actual events in the movie took place. The film will be produced by Smith and his Westbrook Studios partners James Lassiter and Jon Mone as well as Joey McFarland of McFarland Entertainment and Todd Black of Escape Artists. 

  • ‘Delta plus’ variant may trigger third COVID-19 wave in Maharashtra: Health department

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The highly virulent “Delta plus” variant of the novel coronavirus could stoke a third wave in Maharashtra, according to a presentation made at a meeting attended by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday.

    “The number of active patients could reach up to eight lakh, while 10 per cent out of them could be children,” said the presentation made by the state health department, as per an official release.

    The meeting was held here to take stock of preparations to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19 even as Maharashtra, the state worst-hit by the pandemic, emerges out of a devastating second wave of the infection.

    Besides Thackeray, health minister Rajesh Tope and members of the state task force on COVID-19 attended the meeting.

    The presentation made by the health department at the meet portrayed possible scenarios in case a fresh wave of the infection hits Maharashtra.

    The health department said there were 19 lakh cases in the first wave (post-March 2020 outbreak), while in the second wave (which started around mid-February 2021) so far, more than 40 lakh infections had been registered in Maharashtra.

    “The Delta plus variant could stoke a third wave in Maharashtra. It could spread at double the rate,” said an official during the presentation.

    Thackeray asked officials to be prepared to deal with any situation in terms of availability of medicines, beds and other necessary resources.

    “If we do not follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour, we would be hit by the third wave before we can fully recover from the second one,” Thackeray was quoted as saying in the release at the meeting.

    “We have learned lessons from the first and second waves. We have been told that Maharashtra would get around 42 crore vaccine vials from August-September. The officials need to make all necessary preparations,” he said.

    In the first wave, the number of patients was highest at 3,01,752 on September 13, 2020, while it was 6,99,858 on April 22 this year during the second wave of COVID-19, the release said.

    The weekly positivity rate was 23.53 per cent on September 9, which was the highest in the first wave, and it reached 24.96 per cent on April 8 this year, officials said.

    The task force pointed out that in some EU countries, lockdown-like measures were re-introduced following a surge in cases.

    Earlier this week, scientists in New Delhi said the highly transmissible Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has mutated further to form the ‘Delta plus’ or ‘AY.1′ variant, but there is no immediate cause for concern in India as its incidence in the country is still low.

    The new Delta plus variant has been formed due to a mutation in the Delta or B.1.617.2 variant, first identified in India and one of the drivers of the deadly second wave, they had said.

  • Covid positivity rate down to 9.54 per cent: Health Ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The daily COVID-19 positivity rate has reduced and now stands at 9.54 per cent, while the single-day recoveries continue to outnumber the new cases for the 12th consecutive day, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

    The active COVID-19 caseload has also reduced to 25,86,782 with a net decline of 1,33,934 cases being witnessed in a span of 24 hours.

    It now accounts for 9.60 per cent of the country’s total infections.

    The active cases have decreased since its last peak on May 10.

    “India’s daily recoveries continue to outnumber the daily new cases for the 12th consecutive day with 3,26,850 patients recuperating in a span of 24 hours taking India’s cumulative recoveries to 2,40,54,861.

    “A total of 20,58,112 tests were conducted in a span of 24 hours in the country and cumulatively 33,25,94,176 tests have been done so far.

    The daily positivity rate has reduced and stands at 9.54 per cent today,” the ministry said.

    “In encouraging signs to India’s fight against COVID-19 pandemic, the daily new cases have fallen below 2 lakh to a level seen 40 days before with 1,96,427 new infections being registered in a span of 24 hours,” the ministry said.

    Daily new cases were 1,84,372 on April 14.

    A total of 19,85,38,999 vaccine doses have been administered through 28,41,151 sessions, according to a provisional report prepared at 7 am on Tuesday.

    These include 97,79,304 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose and 67,18,723 HCWs who have taken the second dose, 1,50,79,964 frontline workers (FLWs) who have received the first dose and 83,55,982 FLWs who have taken the second dose, and 1,19,11,759 beneficiaries in the 18-44 year age group who have received the first dose.

    According to the ministry data, 12.82 Lakh vaccination doses were administered in the 18-44 age group in a span of 24 hours.

  • COVID-19: Negative RT-PCR report mandatory for people entering Uttarakhand

    By ANI
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Government on Monday informed that a negative RTPCR report will be mandatory for people coming to the state during the period of Corona curfew in the state.

    According to the SOP issued by Chief Secretary Om Prakash, a negative RTPCR report and the Rapid Antigen Report will also be necessary for people going from Dehradun, Haridwar, Udhamsinghnagar, and Nainital to the mountains inside Uttarakhand.

    During the Corona curfew implemented in Uttarakhand till May 18, people coming from outside states will not get entry into the state without the RTPCR negative report of 72 hours before, it will also be necessary to register on the smart city portal to enter the state, the SOP read.

    The Uttarakhand government on Sunday imposed a state-wide lockdown till May 18 in light of the rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases. Cabinet minister and government spokesperson Subodh Uniyal said that shops will only be open from 7 am to 10, except tomorrow (Monday), where shops will be open till 1 pm.

    Uttarakhand on Sunday reported 5,890 new COVID-19 cases, said the state health bulletin. The state also recorded 180 Covid-related deaths, the highest since the pandemic broke out.