The West Bengal government hasdecided to soon start rapid antibody tests to detect COVID-19 contagion, a senior official said on Sunday.The state government on Sunday received a total of 10,000 kits required to conduct such rapid tests, the official told PTI."We have received 10,000 kits to conduct such tests... this will help us in initiating the rapid antibody tests following the guidelines of the of the Indian Council of medical research (ICMR)," he said.The rapid tests will be conducted at the hotspots, clusters, containment zones or as a surveillance tool for epidemiological purposes in such areas where cases have not emerged so far, an advisory issued by the state health department said."The tests will be done under strict medical supervision and hence, the districts of the state have been tasked with the medical colleges and hospitals," it added.As a precautionary measure to contain panic-mongering, the state government has also decided not to reveal results to the person on whom the test will be conducted."To prevent any panic mongering, the results of the rapid test shall not be revealed instantaneously to the person who will be tested, and shall be shared as prescribed in the ICMRs advisory," it added.Considering the limited numbers of testing kits, and to avoid wastage of this precious resource, the state government has also decided that prior approval of the Department of health and family welfare will have to be taken before undertaking rapid tests in any area of West Bengal.The Coochbehar government medical college, North Bengal medical college, Raiganj Government Medical College, Malda Medical College, Rampurhat Government Medical College, Burdwan Medical College, Deben Mahato Purulia Government Medical College have been tagged for rapid antibody test.Bankura Medical College, Midnapore Medical College, Murshidabad MCH, city-based School of Tropical Medicine, Kar Medical College and Hospital, IPGMER and SSKM Hospital and the Diamond Harbour Government Medical College have also been tagged for rapid antibody testing.Meanwhile, the state health department on Sunday ordered that frontline medical personnel in government hospitals should stay in their headquarters and should not come daily to from their residences.This is not desirable since it puts a daily physical and mental strain on the medical personnel besides also putting them at risk of being exposed to infection of the virus, the order said.The administration has already made arrangements for providing suitable boarding and lodging facilities for medical personnel in the vicinity of their workplaces.
