Pooling helps India optimize its testing strategy

Pooled testing is considered an effective way to conduct covid-19 testing on more people while reducing the load on the lab. The Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR) also recommends use in areas with low prevalence. Mint analyzes pros and cons.

What is a pool test?

Pool tests involve multiple swab samples collected from people who may have been exposed to the SARS-Cov2 virus and test them all using one real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kit . If this pool is negative, it is concluded that the whole group is covid-19 negative. A positive bulk sample indicates that at least one person in the mix has covid-19. Then test each of these samples individually to identify infected individuals. This strategy is more efficient in low infection areas. Helps track asymptomatic cases and check community for infections.

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Will such a strategy bring consequences to India?

The ICMR recommendation recommends pooled tests only in areas where the prevalence of covid-19 is less than 5% and states that up to 5 samples can be pooled. Testing too many samples together can miss positive samples if the virus load is very light or low. While individual tests are always more accurate, doctors and health professionals say that pooled tests are important for India, where there are large populations, lack of health care and testing resources, and trained personnel. say. Such a strategy not only saves money and test kits, but also means that more people can be screened faster.

Where are the pooled tests conducted in the country?

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have documented 16 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease to date, and were the first to conduct domestic pooled tests earlier this month to address the shortage of RT-PCR test kits. It was the one. Uttar Pradesh followed in mid-April, and Haryana is now increasing pooled testing.

Are you successful in other countries?

Pool testing has been successful in Germany and Israel. Researchers at the German Red Cross Blood Donation Service in Frankfurt and the Institute of Viral Medicine at the University of Frankfurt University of Goethe developed this method. Germany has the lowest mortality rate in Europe, so we increased our testing from 40,000 to 200,000 a day to 400,000 without sacrificing accuracy. Researchers at Stanford University used it to track the initial spread of the virus in the San Francisco Bay Area.

What are the risks in using this test method?

Pooled testing can significantly improve your testing rate. However, it may not be as accurate as testing each individual. It is important to clearly identify hotspots and non-hotspots before deciding where to deploy pooled tests. Pooled tests for influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections can help you get a fair idea of ​​infection in the green zone, based on which zones can be modified. Pooled testing should be part of a larger strategy based on detailed data that helps identify where to start in the first place.

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