Indian medical body asks states to stop using Covid-19 test kits from 2 Chinese firms

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India, research, agency, testing, China, coronavirus, Indian Council of Medical Research, conflicting

A medical worker sitting inside a mobile test van for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) takes a swab from a man to test for the disease, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, April 27, 2020.

New Delhi - Indian Council of Medical Research says there have been several complaints about the quality of the kits and their conflicting results.

By Reuters/IANS

Published: Mon 27 Apr 2020, 11:01 PM

Last updated: Tue 28 Apr 2020, 1:12 AM

India's federal medical research agency on Monday asked state government to stop using coronavirus testing equipment brought from China because of conflicting results.
More than half a million kits for testing for antibodies to coronavirus were ordered from China this month as a way to ramp up India's screening. But the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said several states had complained about the quality of the equipment from two firms and these need to be sent back to China.
"ICMR, thereafter, has also evaluated the kits of Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics. The results have shown wide variation in their sensitivity, despite early promise of good performance for surveillance purposes."
"In view of this, States are advised to stop using these kits procured from above mentioned companies and return them to be sent back to the suppliers," it said. The ICMR had provided rapid antibody test kits to states with clear instructions that they are to be used only for surveillance purposes.
The ICMR advocates that the RT-PCR throat or nasal swab test is the best use for diagnosis of Covid 19. The test detects the virus early and is the best strategy to identify and isolate the individual.
Earlier this month, they ICMR had asked states to stop using rapid antibody test kits for Covid-19 diagnosis for two days until they were validated again.