As we are entering another month of lockdown, which is meant to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, the opposite is happening. We have been seeing a phenomenal rise in cases in Maharashtra and all over the country. The only relief for Mumbai is that the recovery rate has jumped to 63%. The Health Department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been working round the clock to control the spread of the pandemic in the city. The city had recorded more than one lakh cases so far with a death toll almost touching the 6000 mark.
While our frontline workers are getting infected, with an especially high rate within the police force, the Health Department has come with an initiative to increase the number of tests within the Force. To curb the rising number of cases, the Rapid Antigen Detection Test (RADT) has been implemented. The test was successfully conducted in 94 police stations in Mumbai as of July 30, 2020.
According to the police, there are more than 1,700 active cases in the Maharashtra Police Department. This number includes 204 senior officers and 1550+ police personnel. The Department has lost a total of 100 of its men to the virus. Taking into cognizance the seriousness of this situation, the Mumbai Police has decided to conduct this test for the betterment of their personnel.
The respective Divisional Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) has been appointed as Coordinators to make sure every cop gets tested. Any official found to be positive will be rushed to a BMC or Government Hospital for treatment or to a quarantine centre for swab tests. The task of ensuring that the staff of each police station gets tested has been entrusted to the concerned senior police inspector.
The test is being conducted among police personnel between the age group of 45 to 55. As per the data made available by the police department, 50% of the infected police were on duty in the different containment zones or were on patrol duty in these areas. About 45% of the police who have succumbed to the virus were residents of the containment zones. Most of these also showed symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes.
The report further mentioned that 33.24% of the infected police staff are in the age group of 31 to 40 years; signifying that one out of three patients in the Force belongs to the stated age group. About 28% of the cases are in the age group of 20 to 30 years respectively. The number of cases in the age group of 50 years is about 17%. The remaining 22% is from the age group of 40 to 50 years.
Navi Mumbai Police, in collaboration with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, has decided to conduct antigen tests for every cop in the city. More than 1,000 cops have been tested so far. According to the Navi Mumbai Police, 450 cops and their family members have been infected by the coronavirus.
What is the Rapid Antigen Detection Test?
In this test, antigens are detected by taking samples from the patient’s nose. An antigen is an extracellular fluid that is mixed into the body’s immune system. The rapid antigen detection test detects whether the patient is Corona positive or not within half an hour.
Negative Result: A negative result will only show the Quality Control Line (C) visible while the Detection Lines – IgG and IgM will not be visible.
Positive Result, IgM only: If both the Quality Control Line (C) and the Detection Line – IgM are visible, then the COVID-19 IgM antibody has been detected and the result is positive for the IgM antibody.
Positive Result – IgG only: If both the Quality Control Line (C) and the Detection Line – IgG are visible, then the COVID-19 IgG antibody has been detected and the result is positive for the IgG antibody.
Positive Result – IgG and IgM: If the Quality Control Line (C) and both the Detection Lines – IgG and IgM are visible, then the COVID-19 IgG and IgM antibodies have been detected and the result is positive for both the IgG and IgM antibodies.
Invalid Results – When no Control Lines are visible.
Immunoglobulin tests for COVID-19 can only confirm if one has been exposed to the virus (presently or in the past) depending on the antibodies detected by the test and not to confirm the presence of the virus in the system. Consequently, it should not be used as a standalone screening test but used in tandem with a genetic-based test to determine a complete status. Genetic testing is the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnosis.
Mohit Naik
