Amit Shah launches Covid RT-PCR test at Rs 499; result in 6 hours

Date: 24/11/2020

The first of a series of mobile laboratories at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) headquarters in New Delhi to perform the country's cheapest real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test to diagnose coronavirus disease (Covid-19) was launched on Monday by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

For Rs 499, the RT-PCR test, which in some states costs as much as Rs 2,400, will be conducted, making this Covid-19 confirmatory test accessible for individuals at large. And, relative to the 24-48 hours it usually takes in most countries, the test report would also be produced in a record period of 6 hours after sample collection.

SpiceHealth, an initiative of SpiceJet's promoters and headed by SpiceHealth's CEO, Avani Singh, will set up a range of portable testing facilities across the nation to make highly sensitive RT-PCR testing readily available.

20 such laboratories are likely to be set up in the first year and each laboratory is capable of processing 1,000 tests a day.

The first step is primarily intended for Delhi, and because these laboratories are mobile, they will be deployed at various locations that will be defined on the basis of the national capital's research requirements," said Dr. Rajnikant Srivastava, ICMR spokesperson."

This is an attempt to ensure that Covid-19 research is not only available to the masses, but affordable. ICMR also has relaxed standards for Covid-19 research, and to reduce the number of contaminated individuals, it is basically available on demand, he said.

SpiceHealth and GeneStore, a genomics firm, will jointly set up these research facilities across the country as part of the make-in-India project.

The test kits and laboratory equipment were approved by ICMR, and the National Accreditation Board for Research and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) duly accredited the mobile laboratories.

For all of us at SpiceHealth, this is a momentous day as we take this important step in ensuring that as many Indians as possible have affordable Covid-19 research. India has found it difficult to scale up RT-PCR monitoring for the virus, despite becoming the world's second most infected country by Covid-19, with over 9 million recorded cases so far. We are proud to be able to contribute to the efforts of our country to tackle this global pandemic,' Avani Singh said.

The most widely used Covid test worldwide is the RT-PCR test, known for its diagnostic precision. We hope to dramatically scale up research around the country by delivering this test at a fraction of the current price, guaranteeing a much quicker processing period of only six hours, and deploying mobile laboratories that are conveniently transportable to the most remote areas,” she added.

SpiceHealth has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ICMR for setting up testing laboratories and collection centers across the nation.