New Delhi / Beijing: India on Thursday received five lakh kits from two Chinese firms for rapid COVID test but they are not for diagnostic purpose. Rather, they are intended for surveillance purposes to be used in hot spots as also in the case of healthcare workers and those coming in contact with positive cases and those arriving on international flights.
On some countries finding these kits faulty, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) principal scientist Dr R Gangakhedkar said it makes no difference, since they are meant to check the trend and detect antibodies and are not for diagnosis.
The Rapid Antibody Test Kits deliver results in 15 minutes and work on blood samples instead of nasal swabs to tell whether a patient has ever been exposed to the novel virus.
The kit enables total RNA extraction from tissues. This extracted RNA is a mix of a person's own genetic material and, if present, the coronavirus' RNA.
Top government sources on Thursday told CNN-News18 that India will reject all personal protection equipment kits that have failed quality checks. At least, 50,000 of the 1.7 lakh PPE kits from China failed checks, these sources told News 18.
China, meanwhile, has asked all countries to import these items through reputed Chinese firms cleared by the government and vowed to punish those involved in counterfeit activity.
As its factories resume operations, China is busy tapping into the vast business opportunities of export of key medical goods, especially ventilators and personal protection equipment (PPE), across the world, including India, where both private and government bodies are placing orders for the import of these products.
Responding to questions about quality concerns, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing in Beijing on Wednesday that the Chinese government is facilitating orderly exports. "We hope foreign buyers can choose products from companies that have been accredited by Chinese regulators with good production credentials," he said.
