ICMR approves home test kit priced at Rs 250 for COVID-19 test

NEW DELHI: A Pune-based company, Mylab Discovery Solutions (MDS), has developed India’s first rapid home-test kit for COVID-19 infection. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) granted approval for rapid home-test kit, named ‘CoviSelf’, to hit the market, with its price set at Rs 250. This self-use kit will give results within just 15 minutes.

According to the guidelines released by ICMR, the CoviSelf kit can be used by any symptomatic persons, or their immediate contacts can test themselves, go into isolation and get treated quickly. Hasmukh Rawal, Managing Director, MDS, said that each kit would comprise of the vital testing materials, a leaflet with instructions for use, and a biohazard bag to ensure safe disposal after testing.

The test is done using nasal swab in comparison to the deep nasopharyngeal swab to reduce discomfort. Each pack of CoviSelf has a unique QR code, which has to be entered along with the outcome of the test to receive a report on the associated app.

Rawal said that this will eliminate the need for sample collection by a healthcare professional, and thus will significantly ease pressures on the overburdened testing labs, along with reducing delays in the test results. MDS is aiming to reach the doors of every Indian, to help them fight the COVID-19 pandemic, for this home-test kit can be bought from any pharmacy, without prescription. Rawal said that they currently have a capacity of 70 lakh test kits per week, but they intend on enhancing it to 1 crore test kits by early-June.