Covid-19 test kit by IIT-Delhi just got approved by ICMR. Very soon it will be on the shelf and everybody would be able to use it.
COVID-19 test- In brief
There are two approaches to carry out the testing of covid-19 which is RT-PCR and Blood test.
In the RT-PCR test, a sterile cotton swab is taken and the sample is collected from the nose of the patient. The swab needs to push back far away to get a good amount of sample.
The sample from the swab is collected and an RT-PCR or Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction is carried out and multiple copies of the DNA formed RNA of the virus are made. The copies are made using a specific primer which thus confirms the presence of the virus in the human body.
Another test is the serological or blood test. In this test, the blood sample taken from the patient is tested for the formation of any antibodies if formed as our immune system must have fought the disease to some extent.
Out of the two tests, RT-PCR is the most reliable as it gives accurate results and is specific for the coronavirus. But it costs around INR 2200-3000 and the report may also take time since the procedure is time-consuming, takes around 22-25 minutes.
The virus usually contains RNA as its genetic material which is converted to double-stranded DNA with the help of the RT-PCR technique.
COVID-19 test kit
Now let’s come back to the main content-
The scientists at the IIT Delhi’s Kusuma School of Biological Sciences have developed this covid-19 testing kit which costs around INR 650(really cheap!) and is probe free. The HRD minister also said while referring to the world’s most affordable COVID testing kit, that this is another initiative towards “Make in India”. The name of the kit is “Corosure”.
According to the scientists, the test kits available are probe-dependent, while the one developed by them is probe free and there is no compromise on quality and even the results are also accurate.
The scientists back there did a comparative sequence analysis and they identified unique regions in the short stretches of the RNA of the virus which helped them to identify the COVID-19 and SARS COV-2 virus as these regions are not there in any other viruses that are found in humans, as was specified by Professor Vivekanandan Perumal, who is the lead member of the team.
The working of this kit is explained below briefly and scientifically-
- Primer set, targetting unique regions in the spike protein of covid-19 were designed and tested using real-time RT-PCR.
- The primers designed by the group binds specifically to the regions conserved in over 200 fully sequenced covid-19 genomes.
They also add that the sensitivity of this kit is comparable to that of the commercially available kits.
The team of researchers included Ph.D. scholars, Prashant Pradhan, Ashutosh Pandey, and Praveen Tripathi. Some postdoctoral namely Dr.Parul Gupta and Dr. Akhilesh Gupta and professors, Vivekanandan Perumal, Manoj B Menon, James Gomes, and Bishwajit Kundu.
In my opinion…
Okay. So let’s just assume that we are done with the testing and it is done by a reliable and sensitive test kit which gives accurate results. What after that? What are we going to do with the results?
Well, based on the results which we will obtain, we can ensure the distance which we need to maintain with each other and also the affected and healed cases will be revealed to us. We can thus get to know if social distancing is required or not, or till when is the process required to be done.
We can also get to know the exact percentage of the affected people and we can start the treatment soon. The vaccine may take time in coming, but even if it comes, then we have to work upon it.
We have to see that everyone gets a shot at the vaccine and the immunity is developed in every citizen. If the vaccine is available and people are administered with it, it will take time for the immunity to develop for biological reasons.
Every person will get two shots of the vaccine, one to form immunity against the disease and another to confirm the immunity against that very disease. Even after vaccination, it is still not ensured if the virus will be eradicated or not. Just like we are having few cases of Dengue, Malaria, etc. similarly we will have, if not zero, but few cases of Corona, still prevailing in the society.
Also Read: Coronavirus can be transmitted via air claim 239 scientists
If that is the case, then there is a requirement that we maintain distance from each other and take precautions and keep ourselves safe since health is the prime wealth of our life, second and none!
But once again, I am proud of my country as in this trying times, it has still managed to help itself out. Still, as compared to other countries(people may not agree, but to is the truth) we are doing far better in getting rid of this covid nuisance. We are making affordable Covid-19 test kits and the recovery rate is also increasing.
I blame this capability of ours to the climate, the weather (same thing!), and the terrain of our country.
Well, on the bright side, we can see that the air around us is clean and we can even spot (at least I can!) a few of the birds which were earlier not visible due to the bad weather and polluted air.
I wake up every day to a new day full of fresh air and dust-free environment which lifts my spirits and I can make decisions more clearly and effectively. It also helps me in taking care of my studies and I am damn sure to reach the sky someday.
According to me, such should be the thinking of every student in Lockdown. Let’s not blame our surroundings for everything bad that happens to us. Let’s just focus on our all-round development and be the hero of our story.
And of course, Let’s be an Indian first
Jai Hind!!