Bengaluru does only three antigen tests on day 1; lack of ICMR registration reason for delay

Antigen tests were a non-starter in Bengaluru on Saturday with only three tests being done. One of the three people tested turned out to be postive. A 25-year-old man tested positive when tested with an antigen test in a Taverekere primary health centre in Sunkadakatte.

Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar had said on Friday that 20,000 antigen tests will begin on Saturday. On Saturday, he told reporters here, "We have distributed one lakh tests all over the state including 50,000 in Bengaluru. It will take time to collate test results."

Dr GK Suresh, City Programme Management Officer, National Urban Health Mission, BBMP, told DH, "Three antigen tests have been done in three primary health centres in Taverekere. One individual has tested positive. The fever clinics have to register themselves in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) portal. Only then can they upload test reports there. We have sent the proposal for registration. Once that's done we can start testing. Even the three clinics that have done the tests did not upload the results on the ICMR portal." However, on Saturday evening, the 25-year-old who tested positive via an antigen test received a call from an ambulance driver asking him to be ready for hospitalisation. This despite him not being registered as a patient officially in the system yet.

Dr Nirmala Buggi, Chief Health Officer, Clinical Health, said, "Four BBMP referral hospitals have received 500 antigen tests each. JJR Nagar, Srirampura, H Siddaiah Road, and Banashankari referral hospitals have already received the kits. Two will soon receive the kits."

Dr Ravindra BG, health officer, west zone, who oversees 37 primary health centres said that each of the 137 government fever clinics had received 300 antigen tests. But lab technicians testing positive was acting as a major hurdle in starting testing. BBMP lab technicians had undergone two weeks training in using antigen test kits. "If the Bengaluru Urban (BU) number is not generated for a patient who tests positive, he cannot be treated. Hence, we have to register our clinics in the ICMR portal. Unless each centre gets the login ID and password, we cannot do antigen testing for patients. Patients will suffer otherwise. Also, seven lab technicians have tested positive in our zone and three are primary contacts. Hence they are quarantined," Dr Ravindra said.

Dr Darshan C, Administrative Medical Officer, Ashok Puram Dispensary UPHC, said, "We might start antigen testing from Monday. First preference will be given to primary and secondary contacts of previously diagnosed patients, then to symptomatic patients, and then to ILI cases from containment zones."

Dr Harish from Gandhigrama UPHC said that the lab technician at the centre had tested positive and that the centre is requesting for another lab technician till the current technician recovers. Each government fever clinic on Saturday had received 12 antigen test kits consisting of 25 tests each. For now, the test kits have been distributed among government fever clinics alone and not the private fever clinics.