The Union Health Ministry on September 10, 2020, has asked all the states and Union territories to mandatorily retest all the symptomatic negative cases of Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) through RT-PCR tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19.
As per the Health Ministry, it has been noted that in several large states, symptomatic negative cases tested by antigen tests have not been followed up by RT-PCR Testing.
Following up on the direction, the Health Ministry added that the aim of the States and Union Territories must be to ensure that no potentially positive cases of COVID-19 are being missed out.
Retesting the symptomatic negative cases tested by RAT:
ICMR and the Union Health Ministry have jointly written to all the States and UTs and have directed the authorities to ensure that all the symptomatic negative cases of Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) must be retested using RT-PCR test.
The guidelines issued by ICMR and Health Ministry has clearly stated that the following two-specific categories of the persons must be necessarily retested through RT-PCR tests:
• All the symptomatic (fever or cough or breathlessness) negative cases of antigen tests.
• Asymptomatic negative cases of RAT that has been developing symptoms within 2 to 3 days of being tested negative.
Why the retesting is important?
As per the official from the Union Health Ministry, the retesting is necessary to ensure that such symptomatic negative cases do not remain untested and do not spread the disease among their contacts.
This will also be to ensure the early detection and isolation/hospitalization of such false negatives. In the joint letter, it has also been reiterated that while the RAT is being used to increase the availability and access to testing in the field, RT-PCR remains the gold standard of COVID-19 tests.
Directions to States/UTs:
The centre has also urged the states and Union territories to urgently establish a monitoring mechanism in every district (a team or a designated officer) and at the state level to follow up such cases.
The designated teams will analyze the details of RAT conducted on a daily basis in the Districts and the state and ensure that there will be no delays in retesting all the symptomatic negative cases.
The State authorities have also been advised to undertake an analysis on a regular basis to monitor the incidence of Positive cases during RT-PCR tests conducted as a follow-up.
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