The Congress has demanded a policy regarding Covid self-testing kits
There has been a surge in demand for COVID-19 self-testing kits in Madhya Pradesh, but the data (test results from the same) has not been shared by patients.
Madhya Pradesh reported 3,639 Covid cases in the last 24 hours with a positivity rate of 4.5 per cent.
The Madhya Pradesh government has scaled up testing to over 70,000 a day but the positivity rate has also increased more than 1800 per cent in 11 days. Is this the real story? Or are the real numbers in home testing kits flying of the shelves at pharmacies across the state.
Anubhav Gupta, who runs a chemist shop at Hamidia road, said, "As the demand for test kits is increasing, we will have to stock the kits as per requirement in coming days, but unfortunately in Dawa bazaar also the stock is not much."
Another chemist, Mohd Sufiyan, from Jawahar Chowk area in Bhopal, told NDTV that many people are buying testing kits.
"The advantage of this kit is that if one person is infected, he can get the result sitting at home and save family members," said Mr Sufiyan.
As per the advisory issued by top medical body Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a user is supposed to log in the test result on a central server connected to the ICMR. But the problem is, many users are not reporting the results, and neither the pharmacies nor the government is keeping a record of the kits sold.
Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said, "Those who are positive after using home test kits are requested to give information to the administration. We have set up command-control centers through which we are doing complete monitoring of home isolation."
Former minister and senior congress leader Kamleshwar Patel demanded a policy regarding these kits.
"It is a good thing that there is a kit in the market but the government should have information about the report; the government should make a policy but it is not sensitive about coronavirus. They are busy organising events," said Mr Patel.
Over 500 self-testing kits have been sold in Bhopal in the last three days, underlining the increase in demand for the rapid at-home tests. The findings, however, have not been reported to health authorities, raising fears of undercounting.