News Analysis India

Tag: RT-PCR

  • Maharashtra records over 1000 new Covid cases, 9 deaths

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded over 1,000 new Covid-19 infections and 9 deaths, with Mumbai and Pune logging the highest number of cases according to the state health authorities here.

    The state recorded a whopping 1,115 new patients, taking the number of active cases to 5,421, with the highest 1,577 in Mumbai, followed by 953 in Thane, 776 in Pune, and 548 in Nagpur, while Parhani district has no case.

    Of the 9 deaths, five are from Mumbai circle comprising 2 each in Mumbai and Thane and one in Vasai-Virar town, plus three in Pune city and one in Akola.

    The Mumbai circle also recorded the maximum number of infections – 590, followed by 190 in Pune circle, 174 in Nagpur circle, 50 in Kolhapur circle, 45 in Akola circle, 37 in Latur circle, 15 in Nashik circle, and 14 in Aurangabad circle 14, officials said.

    From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the state’s cumulative total has shot up to 81,52,291 cases and 1,48,470 deaths, both highest in the country.

    Taking precautions to avoid further spread, the health authorities have started random checking of passenger arrivals at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur international airports from December 24, 2022.

    Till date, RT-PCR tests were conducted on 40,250 passengers of which 67 tested positive and have been sent for genome sequencing.

    Among the positive passengers are 15 from Mumbai, 12 from Pune, and one each from Thane, Palghar, Aurangabad, Sangli, Amravati, Satara, and Nagpur.

    The remaining comprises six from Gujarat, five from Uttar Pradesh, three each from Kerala, Odisha, and West Bengal, two each from Telangana, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu, and one each from Delhi, Goa, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Karnataka.

    In anticipation of the surge in the coming weeks, the Mumbai and state health authorities have assured that they are in full preparedness to tackle the situation, besides implementing certain precautions for senior citizens, civic staffers, etc.

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded over 1,000 new Covid-19 infections and 9 deaths, with Mumbai and Pune logging the highest number of cases according to the state health authorities here.

    The state recorded a whopping 1,115 new patients, taking the number of active cases to 5,421, with the highest 1,577 in Mumbai, followed by 953 in Thane, 776 in Pune, and 548 in Nagpur, while Parhani district has no case.

    Of the 9 deaths, five are from Mumbai circle comprising 2 each in Mumbai and Thane and one in Vasai-Virar town, plus three in Pune city and one in Akola.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The Mumbai circle also recorded the maximum number of infections – 590, followed by 190 in Pune circle, 174 in Nagpur circle, 50 in Kolhapur circle, 45 in Akola circle, 37 in Latur circle, 15 in Nashik circle, and 14 in Aurangabad circle 14, officials said.

    From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the state’s cumulative total has shot up to 81,52,291 cases and 1,48,470 deaths, both highest in the country.

    Taking precautions to avoid further spread, the health authorities have started random checking of passenger arrivals at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur international airports from December 24, 2022.

    Till date, RT-PCR tests were conducted on 40,250 passengers of which 67 tested positive and have been sent for genome sequencing.

    Among the positive passengers are 15 from Mumbai, 12 from Pune, and one each from Thane, Palghar, Aurangabad, Sangli, Amravati, Satara, and Nagpur.

    The remaining comprises six from Gujarat, five from Uttar Pradesh, three each from Kerala, Odisha, and West Bengal, two each from Telangana, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu, and one each from Delhi, Goa, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Karnataka.

    In anticipation of the surge in the coming weeks, the Mumbai and state health authorities have assured that they are in full preparedness to tackle the situation, besides implementing certain precautions for senior citizens, civic staffers, etc.

  • Jammu Airport tightens COVID norms, RT-PCR test mandatory for unvaccinated travellers

    By ANI

    JAMMU: The Jammu Airport officials have intensified testing of the unvaccinated travellers including the Vaishno Devi pilgrims in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the state.

    “Travellers are allowed to leave the airport only if they’re fully vaccinated, otherwise, everyone, including the Vaishno Devi pilgrims have to get tested,” says Sanjeev Kumar Garg, Jammu Airport Director on Saturday. Besides this, all the international travellers are going through RT-PCR, informed the Jammu Airport Director.

    Dr Sanjeev Kumar Garg said that the vaccination certificates of all travellers are being checked.

    Dr Mohit Kapoor Nodal Officer for COVID-19 testing at the Airport said that regular testing is done following the Government Guidelines.” In cases, passenger tests positive on arrival we are sending them to DRDO hospital”, added Kapoor. He further informed that at present there is 50 per RTPCR and 50 per cent Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). “In case of a person without a vaccination certificate, we are doing RTPCR and RAT both. Approximately 200 to 250 tests are done every day”, Dr Kapoor added.

    Stanzin, a passenger who lauded the effort taken by the airport authority, said, “This is a good step as testing is important to control the spread of COVID-19.”

    Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday reviewed COVID-19 pandemic preparedness in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and advised the setting up of a Dashboard as well as a public helpline in order to build up the confidence of the common masses.

    The high-level online meeting connected different districts ranging from Jammu to Srinagar as well as the two divisional headquarters of Kashmir and Jammu respectively.

    Jitendra Singh advised setting up of at least one Dashboard each in the office of Divisional Commissioner Jammu and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir respectively for real-time information, which could be shared and could also offer regular inputs for follow up.

  • COVID-19: Maharashtra makes negative RT-PCR report must for international passengers on arrival

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: All international passengers arriving in Maharashtra will have to carry a negative RT-PCR report even though they are fully vaccinated, the state government has said.

    “All international passengers arriving in Maharashtra, including those from the European countries, Middle Eastern countries and South Africa, will be in line with the above-mentioned guidelines issued by the Union ministry of health and family welfare,” said the order issued by Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte on Friday night.

    The Maharashtra government later issued a statement mentioning that fresh rules of the Central government mandate a negative RT-PCR test report before arriving in India.

    “Same rule is applicable for international passengers arriving in Maharashtra. Although the passenger has taken two doses of vaccine against COVID-19, the negative report of RT-PCR is mandatory,” the statement said.

    Maharashtra on Friday reported 4,654 new coronavirus cases and 170 fresh deaths, taking the infection tally to 64,47,442 and the toll to 1,36,900, a state health official had said.

  • ICMR projects export of 62 crore COVID-19 testing kits between July and September

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday projected an export of 62 crore COVID-19 testing kits between July and September.

    “The ICMR/DHR (Department of Health Research) supports the manufacturers to export surplus quantities of the COVID-19 diagnostic kits after meeting the in-country demands. 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 tests,” the ICMR stated in a tweet.

    It further said the production capacity of COVID-19 testing kits has been substantially enhanced, “making India atmanirbhar (self-reliant)”.

    This has resulted in significant reduction in cost and improved availability.

    The India manufacturers have substantially ramped up their production capacity to meet the in-country requirements and surplus quantities can be exported, the apex research body said.

  • Negative Covid report or full vaccination must for visiting Himachal from August 13

    By PTI

    SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh government has made negative COVID-19 report or full vaccination mandatory for all people intending to visit the hill state from August 13.

    In a late night order on Tuesday, Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh stated, “All persons intending to visit State shall carry their COVID-19 Vaccine Certificate (double doses) or a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours or RAT negative report not older than 24 hours w.e.f.13th August, 2021.”

    Issuing the two-page order after the state cabinet meeting, Singh stated, “The situation of COVID-19 in the state has been reviewed. It is observed that the number of COVID-19 active cases and positivity rate are increasing in the state and the situation is still precarious.”

    In its earlier order on August 6, the state government made mandatory a negative RT-PCR report or full vaccination for visiting temples in the state during ‘Shrawan Ashtmi Navratras’ from August 9 to August 17.

    Further, it has also been decided that all schools would remain closed except residential ones from August 11 to 22.

    However, teaching and non-teaching staff members will attend schools, the order stated.

    The education department will frame Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the residential schools for containment of COVID-19, it added.

    The order further stated, “Inter-state, Inter-district and Intra-district movement of public transport buses (state/ contract carriages) is now allowed to be operated with 50% of the registered seating capacity w.e.f.13th August, 2021.”

    For inter-state public transport buses, the transport department shall frame mechanism for checking of RTPCR/ RAT/vaccine certificate so that only eligible persons will board the buses, it added.

    The state recorded 419 fresh coronavirus cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections and fatalities to 2,08,616 and 3,521 respectively.

    A total of 185 patients cured from the infection, according to the data provided by state health department.

    Few days ago, the number of active cases had dipped to around 800 but the sudden surge took the figure to 2,318 on Tuesday.

    Meanwhile, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also expressed concern in the State Assembly on Monday over the increasing number of Covid cases.

  • Indian scientists develop ‘saline gargle’ method for COVID tests, results within three hours

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Scientists of the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) have developed a ‘saline gargle RT-PCR method’ for testing COVID-19 samples that can provide results within three hours.

    The saline gargle method offers a bunch of attractive benefits — it’s simple, fast, cost-effective, patient-friendly and comfortable. It offers instant results and is well-suited for rural and tribal areas, given the minimal infrastructure requirements.

    Krishna Khairnar, Senior Scientist, Environmental Virology Cell, NEERI says, “Swab collection method requires time. Moreover, since it is an invasive technique, it is a bit uncomfortable for patients. Some time is lost also in the transport of the sample to the collection centre. On the other hand, the saline gargle RT-PCR method is instant, comfortable and patient-friendly. Sampling is done instantly and results will be generated within three hours.”

    ALSO READ: India seeing stabilisation of Covid second wave, says Centre

    The method is non-invasive and so simple that the patients themselves can collect the sample. Collection methods like nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab collection require technical expertise; they are also time-consuming.

    In contrast, the saline gargle RT-PCR method uses a simple collection tube filled with saline solution. The patient gargles the solution and rinses it inside the tube. This sample in the collection tube is taken to the laboratory where it is kept at room temperature, in a special buffer solution prepared by NEERI.

    An RNA template is produced when this solution is heated, which is further processed for Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). This particular method of collecting and processing the sample enables to save on the otherwise costly infrastructural requirement of RNA extraction.

    People can also test themselves since this method allows self-sampling. The method is environment-friendly as well, since waste generation is minimized.

    The scientist expects that this innovative testing technique will be especially beneficial for rural and tribal areas where infrastructure requirements can be a constraint. The technique has received the approval of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). NEERI has further been asked to train other testing labs to help scale up its adoption across the country.

    Dr Khairnar and his team hope that the method is implemented at the national level, resulting in faster and more citizen-friendly testing, thereby strengthening the battle against the pandemic.

    “Scientists, researchers and lab technicians of the Environmental Virology Cell at NEERI have taken painstaking efforts to develop this patient-friendly technique amid surging COVID-19 infections in the Vidarbha region,” he added.

  • This newly-developed RT-PCR kit has higher accuracy of detecting Covid across mutant strains

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: A newly-developed multiplex RT-PCR kit has a higher accuracy of detecting Covid across the various mutant strains of the virus.

    As the pandemic is going through a second wave with multiple variants, the selection of target genes in multiplex RT-PCR assay is becoming critical for accurate detection of the virus.

    Even though coronaviruses make far fewer errors than other RNA viruses, the mutations in S, R, and N genes often interfere with RT-PCR assay. For example, the “variant of concern” B1.1.7 (also known as the UK variant) has a 69-70del, due to deletion of 6 bases in the RNA, which resulted in S gene drop out from RT-PCR assay.

    The new multiplex RT-PCR kit, developed Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an Institute of National Importance under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, targets two SARS CoV2 genes: RdRp and ORFb-nsp14, and the human RNAse P gene as the internal control to help detect a range of mutant strains. 

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    Various studies have shown that RdRp and ORF1b-nsp14 genes are more sensitive in detecting Covid. In order to target the multiple variants in the second wave, using two highly accurate confirmatory genes like RdRp and ORF-nsp14, can give precise results. The ORFb-nsp14 is one of the least mutated genes in Covid and currently, there are no kits in the market with ORF-nsp14 as the target. 

    The new kit is based on multiplex Taqman chemistry, amplifying all three genes in a single reaction. The amplification time for the assay is 45 minutes, apart from the time required for the RNA isolation from nasopharyngeal swab samples. Multiplexing two confirmatory genes will help shortlist possible new variants if one of the genes fails to amplify and can be marked for sequence analysis. 

    ICMR has validated this kit at the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and found that it has 97.3 per cent  sensitivity and 100 per cent specificity in covid19 detection.

    SCTIMST has signed a non-exclusive license MoU with Huwel Lifesciences, Hyderabad, on 14th May 2021 to commercialize the kit. 

    “This unique RT-PCR kit will be a significant weapon in our fight against COVID-19 by a facile detection of SARS-CoV-2 mutations which are becoming increasingly important,” said Secretary, DST, Prof Ashutosh Sharma. 

  • Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates RT-PCR lab, Delhiites to have free corona test

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the mobile RT-PCR test laboratory in the capital Delhi on Monday, through which the test of Covid-19 (Covid-19) for just Rs 499

    Can be done and results can be obtained in 6 hours. The mobile RT-PCR test laboratory has been started with the joint effort of the government and ‘Spice Health’.

    It is worth mentioning that the Central Government had to intervene after the sudden increase of cases of Kovid-19 in Delhi. The Ministry of Home Affairs said that the cost of this test is 499, which will be borne by ICMR. The people of Delhi will not have to pay any fee for the investigation.

    Spice Health is part of the airline company Spice Jet. In a statement, Spice Health said that 3000 people can be examined in a day through this mobile laboratory. The statement said that Spice Health has signed an MoU with the Indian Council of Medical Research in this regard. An official said that the lab was inaugurated by Shah and for Rs 499, people will be able to get Kovid-19 tested and get results in just six hours.