Delhi: Govt to ramp up RT-PCR testing on HC directions

New Delhi: Authorities in different districts of the capital are going to put stress on RT-PCR tests in the wake of Delhi high court asking the Delhi government why it is not ramping up the gold standard test as per the ICMR guidelines.

A senior official in the directorate general health services, Dr Nutan Mundeja, said that there is a standing instruction to all the districts to conduct as many RT-PCR tests as possible under the guidelines for Covid-19 testing. Delhi has been recently conducting only 50% of its capacity of 11,000 RT-PCR tests per day.

The combined capacity of the private sector and public sector laboratories in Delhi is 54 and approximately 11,000 tests through RT-PCR can be conducted in a day. The government has conducted less than 6,000 RT-PCR tests daily between July 15 and July 23.

Sources in different districts said that the testing centres would now be asked to carry out more RT-PCR tests.

“Since RT-PCR tests involve a process, which is not as easy as the rapid antigen tests, the people on the ground tend to prefer antigen tests. Also, the samples have to be sent to the labs for the RT-PCR tests, while the antigen tests give result in a short period of time,” said sources.

Dr Niraj Roy, surveillance officer of West district, said the district has planned to conduct more RT-PCR tests, which give more reliable outcome. “Around 50 dispensaries are located in the district,” added Dr Roy.