Important: How to use COVID-19 self-testing kit, Mylab CoviSelf at home!

Since private labs are taking time to give out the results for COVID-19 tests due to an increase in cases, you can go for the COVID-19 self-testing kit. With Mylab CoviSelf, you can take the test at home, and it gives the results in 15 minutes.

After 6 to 7 months, Indian states have started reporting a high number of Coronavirus cases since mid-December 2021. With the spur in the cases, people have also started taking precautions to avoid the symptoms. Those discovering COVID-19 symptoms can use the COVID-19 self-testing kit, Mylab CoviSelf, which was approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) last year. Given the circumstances, you must understand the mechanism of the kit, so that it can be correctly utilized when necessary.

Origin of the kits

At first, such a self-testing kit produced by Lucira Health was approved in the US in November 2020, followed by Europe and South Korea. However, CoviSelf has been developed by MyLab Discovery Solutions, a Pune-based molecular company that can conduct a Rapid-Antigen test with just a nasal swab sample. The results are shown within just 15 minutes.

Who all can use this?

According to ICMR, only those individuals who have symptoms or are in contact with positive people, need to take the test with a Coviself self-testing kit. If the result comes 'positive', you should quarantine yourself and consult a doctor. To confirm, you can undergo an RT-PCR test. While one can go for the test in case the result comes 'negative' and the person has symptoms. Further, this test is also synced with a mobile app, CoviSelf, that will directly feed the positive cases' report on the ICMR portal.

How to use the kits?

As a first step, download the CoviSelf app and enter all the details. Clean or sanitize your hands and the surface on which the kit has to be placed. The kit includes a pre-filled extraction tube, sterile nasal swab, a testing card, and a bag. To start, insert the swab up to 2-4 cm inside your nose, or until it touches the back of the nasal tract, then rub it well to collect the specimen.

After the collection, swirl the swab inside the extraction tube to mix with the liquid inside. Close the tube tightly and put two drops from the extraction tube’s outlet onto the testing card. Usually, the results come within 15 minutes. If two lines appear, one on the marker 't' for the testing line and another on 'c' for the quality control line on the testing card, it signifies that the person is positive. However, the result is negative if just one line appears on marker 'c'. Once the result is out, seal the tube and swab in the biohazard bag that comes with the kit and dispose it as biomedical waste.

Significance of the self-testing kits

As the number of cases starts rising in the country, like the first and the second wave, the government and private labs are getting over-burdened with testing requests resulting in a delay in giving the reports. Coviself self-testing kits, on the other hand, is reducing the burden on private labs and making one efficient in taking the tests at home. The testing kit costs Rs. 250.

Hence, take all the good care of yourself while also ensuring COVID-appropriate behaviour and use such kits once you discover the symptoms.

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