Table 4.
Advantages and limitations of the available testing options in India
| Type of test | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| rRT PCR | High specificity | Varied clinical sensitivity |
| Need for biosafety level-2 or 3 | ||
| Full coverall protection required | ||
| Limited availability of laboratories and skilled manpower | ||
| Costly (Rs. 5000/test) | ||
| Takes 5 h | ||
| Antibody based tests | Lower cost (Rs. 2000-3000/test) | Low sensitivity in 1st week |
| Rapid (3-15 min) | Limited supply of kits internationally Poor quality of kits | |
| Gloves, head cover and mask suffice as protective equipment | ||
| Stable at room temperature | ||
| Truenat™ beta CoV | Indian indigenous technology | Availability of kits |
| Low cost (Rs. 1000/test) | Need confirmatory testing by RT-PCR | |
| 800 machines installed in India | ||
| High specificity | ||
| The same machine can test TB, HIV | ||
| No need for Air conditioner | ||
| Easy to perform in primary care | ||
| Battery operated and portable | ||
| Pooled PCR | For low prevalence (<2%) areas | Pooling is not recommended at areas with >5% positivity rate |
| Cost effective for asymptomatic people and pre-operative screening | Not for contacts of Covid-19 patients |
Covid: Coronavirus disease, rRT-PCR: Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, CoV: Coronavirus, TB: Tuberculosis