Big question mark on genuineness of testing kits
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Apr 15: In an astonishing episode, which raises a big question mark on authenticity of ongoing COVID-19 testing, all the persons recently declared COVID-positive in rapid antigen tests at Jammu University, have turned out to be negative in their RT-PCR check conducted on the same day.
Official sources told the Excelsior that in the most credible RT-PCR test, no SARS-Cov-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) was detected in the persons who were declared positive in the rapid testing conducted at Jammu University on April 9 and 10.
In other words, there was no positive case in JU, which has been declared containment zone for the last four days after around six dozen employees and students of the university were declared COVID infected in the ‘faulty’ rapid antigen testing conducted on the campus.
It may be recalled that during rapid testing at JU campus on 9th April, 26 university employees were declared Covid positive while 43 more were found infected on April 10 and nine others on April 12.
During April 9 testing on the campus, all those 26 found positive in rapid antigen test were also undergone RT-PCR check on the same day. However, in the RT-PCR report, which was received last evening, all these 26 persons had no trace of Covid infection.
As no RT-PCR test was conducted by the university on those found positive in rapid antigen testing on April 11, most of these persons got the same performed from private labs and hospitals on the same day or the next morning.
The Excelsior investigations revealed that all those found positive in rapid antigen testing on April 11, whose identity and location could be traced, also turned out to be negative in the RT-PCR report. However, RT-PCR report of the test conducted on April 12 are still awaited.
Pertinent to mention that there are two broad categories of testing for Covid-19 infection: Rapid Antigen Testing and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test.
Antigen test, frequently referred to as a rapid test, detects protein fragments specific to the Coronavirus. It can be done anywhere. Turnaround time for results is usually very quick and in most cases, results can be reported within 15 minutes.
RT- PCR testing is considered the gold standard in SARS-CoV-2 detection. This test actually detects RNA (or genetic material) that is specific to the virus and can detect the virus within days of infection, even among those who have no symptoms. Turnaround time for results of this test is longer, generally in the 2-3 day range. If a person tests positive in RT-PCR, it means that Covid infection is confirmed.
The medical experts believe that a person tested negative in rapid test may be positive in RT-PCR but not the vice-versa i.e. a positive in rapid test will definitely be positive in RT-PCR check.
However, the testing results of Jammu University have raised a big question mark on authenticity of both category of Covid tests and particularly the quality of rapid antigen kits, which are vigorously being used by the Government authorities to detect the infected persons.
“Procured in big number, these kits are either faulty or have expired and the ongoing vigorous testing exercises here and there seem to be the attempt to make these kits utilized even by subjecting people to harassment and playing with their health,” said a JU Professor while drawing attention towards the unprecedented restrictions imposed on movement in and around the campus after the area was declared containment zone by the district administration.
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