Delhi : Scaling up of RT-PCR tests an uphill task

New Delhi: Following Delhi High Court’s order to scale up RT-PCR tests for Covid-19, Delhi government is working out the modalities for expanding the use of the test, considered the most reliable for establishing infection. But experts say that increasing the number of RT-PCR tests is fraught with challenges. At present, around 11,000 RT-PCR tests are conducted daily, up from around 5,500 in mid-June. In addition, more than 45,000 of the less dependable rapid antigen tests are also being carried out every day.

Delhi currently has the capacity for conducting nearly 15,000 RT-PCR tests daily. Officials said maximising the capacity of all the testing machines over 24 hours has enabled the state government to conduct the 11,000 tests. But there are days when the machines break down. Many lab technicians have not taken a break for 15 days due to the imperatives for daily testing. When some of them fall sick, fewer tests are conducted. Since Covid is a new virus, the private agencies are not interested in developing more labs for fear that they may become redundant once the virus is conquered.

On the ground, RT-PCR demands more manpower compared with the rapid antigen test. “RAT does not require high skills because the health workers only have to follow simple techniques to get the results. The results are out within 15-30 minutes,” said a government official. “In contrast, RT-PCR samples cannot be analysed using a RAT-like kit. The samples need to be collected and properly packed and transported to the testing centres. Improper handling of the samples results in inconclusive results.”

The key challenges to RT-PCR tests being ramped up as directed by the high court are the labs’ limited capacity and inadequate skilled manpower. “There have been a few occasions in the past when a few labs have expressed inability to accept more than a certain number of samples per day due to such limitations,” said the official.

RAT has gone up to almost 50,000 a day, while the increase in RT-PCR tests has been slow. Together, the two tests have taken the daily Covid tests being conducted in Delhi to over 60,000. After the AAP government did away with the need for a doctor’s prescription for undergoing Covid tests, more people are undergoing this test. “Since private hospitals charge Rs 24,00 for RT-PCR tests, many people opt to go to government facilities. There are more facilities offering the cheaper and faster rapid antigen testing, so more people opt for RAT,” the official added.

The city currently has 64 labs, both private and government, carrying out Covid tests. Delhi government’s largest RTPCR testing facility at Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in Vasant Kunj tests over 300 samples a day, with the others also burdened similarly.

A government official claimed that even in developed countries, the RT-PCR testing facilities had only increased marginally. It cannot be increased in a big way because the testing facility is not only about creating physical infrastructure and buying instruments, but also about highly specialised human infrastructure. The supply of the microbiologists is limited. “It has been seen across the country that private companies are not interested in converting their testing facilities into Covid testing facilities,” rued the official.