The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued new restrictions to producers, suppliers, and dealers of home antigen testing kits in the city, in response to an increase in the usage of home test kits to diagnose coronavirus infection.
The municipal body required persons responsible for making, supplying, and marketing home antigen testing kits to email specific facts to the civic authorities and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a defined format every day, according to an order issued on Thursday.
The findings of all COVID-19 tests performed with quick antigen test kits or home test kits must be reported to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) by laboratories or persons utilizing mobile applications, according to the mandate.
The municipal body went on to say that in other cases, the findings of home test kits were not submitted to the ICMR, causing officials to lose track of patients and, as a result, the virus spread further.
“As a result, it is vital to maintain track on such individuals in order to restrict the virus’s spread,” the BMC directive noted.
Manufacturers and distributors of home testing kits have been required to provide the FDA commissioner and the civic body with information on the number of kits supplied to pharmacies and medical shops in Mumbai under the new rules.
By 6 p.m. every day, chemists and medical stores must send details of test kits supplied to clients in a defined manner.
According to the rules, the FDA commissioner will oversee the distribution and sale of test kits by all pharmacies and medical stores in Mumbai, and will instruct them to advise clients to report test results on the provided app.
The duty of the BMC’s epidemiology cell and ward teams has also been outlined by the order.