A Pune-based diagnostics company has begun delivering COVID-19 self-test kits, dubbed “CoviSelf.” The kits will be sold at pharmacies, as well as on Flipkart. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had approved the company’s new COVID-19 self-use quick home-test kit in May, with results ready in only 15 minutes.  

Also Read | COVISELF, India’s first DIY COVID-19 testing kit: All you need to know

Mylab Discovery Solutions has produced the country’s first COVID-19 home-test kit, dubbed “CoviSelf,” which costs Rs 250.

Last year, the business gave India its first RT-PCR Test kit, which is currently widely used for COVID-19 testing.

Hasmukh Rawal, the Managing Director of Mylab Discovery Solutions, had stated that the company’s current output of 70 lakh test kits per week will be increased to 1 crore test kits by early June.

According to ICMR criteria, any symptomatic individuals or their direct contacts with confirmed cases could utilize the self-use test kit to test themselves, go into isolation, and receive treatment swiftly.

Also Read | Right to disconnect: Employees plan to pull the plug on out-of-hours emails

Rawal stated that each kit will include the necessary testing equipment, an instruction pamphlet, and a biohazard bag for disposal after testing. To lessen the user’s pain, the test is performed using a nose swab rather than a deep nasopharyngeal swab.

The results will be available in 15 minutes, and each pack has a distinctive QR code that must be submitted together with the diagnosis in order to receive a summary on the app.

The managing director has said that since this removes the need for sample collection by a healthcare practitioner, it will considerably relieve strains on overloaded testing laboratories, as well as reduce test result delays, which may be as long as 72 hours in some regions of the nation.

MDS intends to bring COVID-19 testing to the doorstep of every Indian with its CoviSelf, which can be purchased without a prescription from any pharmacy, to contribute to the battle against the second wave of the pandemic and any later waves, according to Director Sujit Jain.

Also Read | Why is the Arctic sea ice melting faster than expected? New study answers

“Most western countries have allowed self-test for their citizens and consider it as a powerful tool to break the chain. CoviSelf combines with Mylab’s AI-powered mobile App so that a user can know his/her positive status, submit the result to ICMR directly for traceability, and know what to do next in either case of result. We are sure this small step will be a big leap in mitigating the second and subsequent waves,” Jain had said.