Diagnostic laboratory chain Thyrocare Technologies on July 3 launched 'COVID Antibody Tests' facility at its labs across the country. The test identifies if a person has had the novel coronavirus at some point in the past and has produced the antibodies to fight it.
The test kits and procedures have been approved by ICMR, and the company has made the test available pan India, Thyrocare said in a statement.
The test is done as sero-surveillance, which is a reference to understand the spread of infection in a community by looking for antibody generation in an exposed individual. This test is not for diagnosis purposes, it added.
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The test will help to understand what percentage of the population got exposed to the virus and developed antibodies to fight the virus, Thyrocare said.
"The antibody tests will equip us with data and information regarding the immunity levels of citizens in our country," Thyrocare Technologies Founder and CEO A Velumani said.
The company has conducted about 10,000 tests in cities where the virus is spreading rapidly in the last week, out of which 6.8 percent of people have tested positive for the antibody tests, he added.
As the virus spreads rapidly in India, these tests will prove to be extremely crucial and important to bring back normalcy, the statement said.
The antibody testing is priced at Rs 600 to make it accessible to the masses, it added.
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