Self covid test kits: Which are best home testing kits available online?

Ground Report | New Delhi: Covid self test kit; As the third wave of Covid is spreading in India, the cases of Covid are increasing. The health department in Mumbai, Bangalore is worried because most people are using antigen test kits at home. The government is concerned that when people do tests at home, the government will not be able to know the correct figures and the cases of covid will remain underreported. Let us understand how the antigen test kit works and where you can buy it.

First of all, We must tell you that ICMR has approved some of the antigen test kit for home testing. If you are planning to buy one, Please consider only Govt. Approved kits, Which are as follow:-

​Abbott PanBio Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Test Device

PanBio Covid-19 is a rapid antigen test developed by the Abbott Rapid Diagnostics Division. It is an ICMR approved Covid test kit. The Nasal Swab-Based Test Kit is available in packs of 1, 4, 10, and 20. Abbott has an application called NAVICA-IN for the Android and iOS operating systems to verify test results.

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Available on Amazon

Mylab CoviSelf - COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Self Test Kit

Mylab CoviSelf is India's first ICMR approved self-test kit for COVID-19. CoviSelf allows you to test yourself for the COVID-19 antigen in 15 minutes. The test is licensed for home use without a prescription with self-collected nasal samples. The test can be used by people over the age of 18 or by an adult for people between the ages of 2 and 18. The tests must be performed with the CoviSelf application to record and report the results.

Available on Amazon

Siemens CliniTest Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Self Test

The Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test from Siemens Clinitest is for the rapid detection of COVID-19 antigens in nasal or nasopharyngeal swabs for reliable testing at the point of care. The rapid antigen test is listed by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and has been evaluated by the Paul Ehrlich Institute, a German federal agency and a medical regulatory body. Provides reliable test results in just 15 minutes due to its high sensitivity and specificity.

NeoDx Biotech’s NeoCheck: Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Kit for Self Testing

Also called Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) or Lateral Flow Test (LFT), the rapid diagnostic test uses the throat and/or nose swabs to detect a current COVID-19 infection. You don't need technical expertise and can be done anywhere.

This kit uses single-step RT-qPCR with hydrolysis probe chemistry that utilizes the 5 'nuclease activity of Taq DNA polymerase and enables detection of the PCR product that is amplified at each step during PCR cycles by producing fluorescence.

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Meril Diagnostics’ CoviFind COVID-19 Rapid Antigen self test

The CoviFind Covid-19 Antigen Self Test enables early detection of the SARS CoV-2 virus. It helps to check for infection quickly, begin proper treatment, and initiate isolation precautions that help prevent further spread of infection.

The kit is developed by Meril Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd. It is also a nasal swab-based kit with a mobile app.

Angstrom Biotech’s Angtech COVID-19 home test kit

This particular kit, manufactured by Angstrom Biotech Pvt. Ltd., is also approved by ICMR. It is different in that one has to take a saliva sample in a tube that is provided and then follow the necessary steps given in the manual. It also comes with an application called EONMED.

Nulife Care’s AbCheck Rapid Antigen self-test.

NuLife Care AbCheck Covid 19 Rapid Antigen Test Kit, ICMR Approved, The final test in the list, has been made by Nulife Care in Noida. Like the others, it also has a dedicated smartphone app to confirm results and is a nasal swab-based kit.

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Price

The rapid antigen test kit costs between Rs 250-600. You can buy it from Amazon or online drug stores like 1mg.

How to use Antigen Test Kit

Before unpacking the antigen test kit, sanitize your hands thoroughly. The test kit will contain a solution. In that solution, you have to put a swab taken from your nose or throat. Then drop of this solution is to be put on the test kit. Within 15 minutes you will get a positive or negative result on the test kit. It is just like a pregnancy test kit.

Is the result reliable?

If your result is positive then you must get the RTPCR test done. If you have symptoms of the corona, yet the test is coming negative, even then it is a better option to do an RTPCR test.

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