Pune-based pharma company, Mylab Discovery Solutions had created a self-use test kit for Covid-19 called “CoviSelf”. On 20th May they announced that the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) has approved the test kit. This kit will reduce burden on existing laboratories, reduce stress on manpower required for home testing, and provide quick results. The test can now be purchased for ?250 without a prescription from local pharmacies and online channel partners.The company will start shipping out tests within a few days. Mylab current production capacity is 7 million (70 lakh) tests per week and plans to increase its capacity to 10 million (1crore) tests per week within 14 days. 

Step 1 & 2 - In the kit, there will be a nasal swab. Take a nasal sample upto 2-4cm inside the nose. Roll the swab 5 times. 

Step 3 - Then dip the swab in the pre-filled extraction tube. Pinch the tube at the bottom and swirl the swab ten times to ensure it is completely immersed in the tube. 

Step 4 - Break the swab at the breakpoint. Close the tube and mix well. 

Step 5 - Add two full drops by pressing the tube in the test device. Wait for 15 mins. 

A person is positive for Covid-19 if two lines appear on the testing card on marker ‘t’ for testing line and ‘c’ for quality control line, negative if a single line appears on marker ‘c’. If only a dark ‘T’ line appears or if it is faint,  then the test is invalid. 

Step 6 - If you are confused and unable to read the results, take a picture of the test and upload it to the Mylab app to analyse and it will display your test results.  

All those who test positive do not require additional testing. Those who test negative and are doubtful about their results may opt for the RT-PCR test. Its efficacy, however, is not 100 per cent and has chances of false negatives. The mobile app submits results directly to ICMR for contact tracing. 

Tags

• Mylab
• Discovery
• Solutions
• ICMR
• Coviself

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