Labs test beyond capacity, yet K'taka has backlog of 5K COVID-19 samples

As of April 18, Karnataka had a backlog of more than 5,000 samples waiting to be tested even though 16 COVID-19 laboratories in the state have been testing beyond their usual capacity.

The state’s testing rate – 483 tests per million population – however, is better than the national average of 383 tests per million. In the past one week alone, the state tested nearly 7,500 samples.

Despite this, resource constraints have added to the testing backlog, say sources.

And due to spike in the number of positive cases in the red and orange zones, the health department has now started to test people even in green zones where there are no cases reported and no one is quarantined.

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The 16 labs (11 government and five private laboratories) in the state, approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), have a capacity to test 60-250 samples per day. But most labs have stretched their limits by testing 50 per cent more samples every day with lab technicians working from 12-16 hours a day.

The state government stopped publishing data about sample collections following reports of backlogs in the media.

Rapid tests

Finding a way to skirt policy hurdles that have delayed the import of around 1 lakh test kits to the state, the government has tied up with a few Indian firms to obtain Chinese rapid-test kits. The government has placed orders with Imperial Life Sciences for 50,000 kits. It gives antibody test results in 15 mins.

As per the health ministry’s bulletin on April 18, a total of 24,424 samples were received and only 19,186 were tested. Around 5,238 samples were to be tested yet. But the state health commissioner told the media that the delay wouldn’t last for 24-48 days and that it was a data entry mismatch and not a real delay.

The state according to reports till Friday (April 24) had 445 positive COVID-19 cases.

While the ICMR and the state have decided to delay the rapid antibody tests due to quality control issues over the imported Chinese test kits, Karnataka has now ordered 50,000 kits from Imperial Life Sciences. With the delay in rapid antibody tests, the reliance on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests done by existing COVID-19 testing labs cannot be reduced unless the state enhances the capacity.

Dr Amrutha Kumari B, nodal officer of Virus Research and Diagnostics Laboratory (VRDL) and in-charge of COVID-19 test laboratory at Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI) says the states should test more even if it means more work for them.

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“The only way to reduce our task is not by testing less but by increasing the manpower,” Kumari says. Expecting a rise in demand for testing, the MMCRI lab has taken in 10-12 post graduate microbiology students and are getting them trained in the testing process.

“While they would have the basic knowledge of the tests, we have to train them to adapt to the current situation,” Kumari says.