Chemists told to send kit sale report daily to the health department; civic officials urge citizens to report positive result on the ICMR portal
A man buys a self-test kit at a chemist store in Sion. File pic
Positivity rate of Covid-19 in Mumbai found through home testing has doubled in a week, from 6 per cent in May to 13 per cent in the first week of June, as per BMC data. This highlights the need to monitor all self-test kits so that no patient goes undetected.
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As per the data shared by the health department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, a total of 3,322 people had opted for self-test kits in April (till 25th) and only 32 or 1 per cent of them tested positive. In May, 3,576 people got tested at home and 216 or 6.04 per cent of them were diagnosed with the infection. In June (till 6th) 1,167 self-test kits were used of which 156 or 13.37 per cent came positive. The data was compiled using the figures reported to the civic body by chemists.
A civic official from the health department said, “As cases are rising, more people will opt for self-test kits. But it is important that they report their results to the ICMR portal. It will be helpful in arresting further spread of the disease.”
Also Read: Covid-19: Mandatory masking any day in Maharashtra now
“As per the guidelines, chemists need to send us daily reports on the number of self-test kits sold. However, the number of cases dropped after the third wave and reports from chemists started getting irregular,” the official added. Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, BMC, said, “I don’t think that self-testing numbers have increased. Recently we mailed and asked the chemists to send us reports regularly so that we will come to know how many kits have been sold to people.”
Dr Trupti Gilada, consultant physician, infectious diseases, Masina Hospital, said, “I think there is nothing wrong if people do self-testing as long as they follow protocol. Some of our patients also approached us after they tested positive using self-test kits. We always advise them to upload the same to the ICMR portal as it is important. There is no need to panic as less people need admission and the death rate, too, is low.”
Dr Hemlata Arora, senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Nanavati Max Hospital, said, “With an increase in cases and positivity rate, the number of individuals seeking medical advice after home testing kits has witnessed a rise in recent times. Most patients have mild symptoms which can be managed with standard clinical protocols in home isolation. We advise patients to upload their results on BMC and ICMR portals and follow up the RAT with RT-PCR if symptoms worsen. Moreover, RAT sensitivity rate is quite accurate and every RAT-positive individual should seek active medical care if the symptoms don’t improve during home isolation treatment.
Woman found with BA.5 variant
A 31-year-old woman has been found infected with the BA.5 variant of Omicron. However, she was asymptomatic and has now recovered. Till now the state had reported four cases of the BA.5 variant and four of BA.4 variant. According to the latest report of whole genomic sequencing from B J Medical College, the woman is from Pune. State surveillance officer Dr. Pradeep Awte said “At the end of May she had tested positive and her sample was sent for genome sequencing. On Tuesday, her report came positive. She was asymptomatic and recovered at home. Now we will trace her close contacts and do Covid testing.” He added that there is no need to panic about the new sub-lineage. It seems to be more transmissible but does not lead to severity.
1,167
No. of self-test kits used in June (till the 6th)
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