Kerala adopted the strategy of doing the maximum number of COVID-19 tests possible, using a combination of RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests (RAT), so that the infectious people in the community can be found as fast as possible and isolated, thus preventing further disease transmission.
Defending the State’s testing strategy, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan pointed out that during a pandemic, when the disease transmission was intense, the priority had to be in testing the maximum and finding and isolating infectious people quickly.
The State was thus deploying a good number of RT-PCR tests to test all symptomatic persons.
However, doing RAT was more accessible and convenient when a large number of tests had to be done in a community. The results were also obtained faster. RAT could be done in all government hospitals.
To be tested again
Anyone who tested negative in RAT but still displayed symptoms were again tested by the RT-PCR. The primary contacts of positive cases were also tested using RT-PCR, Mr. Vijayan pointed out.
Even if the primary contacts tested negative in RT-PCR, they have to compulsorily go on quarantine, as a matter of caution.
He said that the government had not reduced the number of RT-PCR and on Friday alone, 70,000 RT-PCR tests had been done.
The Chief Minister was forced to defend the State’s COVID testing strategy during his press conference here on Saturday, following the Opposition’s constant refrain that the State’s pandemic management had failed because of the over reliance on RAT rather than RT-PCR, unlike in other States.
All symptomatic persons would continue to be tested using RT-PCR. Mr. Vijayan said the RAT and RT-PCR kits used by laboratories would be subjected to quality checks by district authorities.
