Kerala govt's 'over-reliance' on antigen tests turn homes into COVID clusters: Cong

The pandemic had spread widely as the infection was not detected in the rapid tests and the number of RT-PCR tests was limited to just 25 per cent in the state, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said. 

Taking a swipe at the government's latest decision to carry out the entire COVID tests in six districts in RT-PCR format only, the leader said it was a wisdom that dawned late upon the government. 

The state government on Tuesday decided to conduct RT-PCR testing only in six districts-- Wayanad, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and Kasaragod -- where the vaccination is 80 per cent complete or is close to 80 per cent. 

Welcoming the decision, Satheesan said he had asked the government to maximise the number of RT-PCR tests in view of his own experience. 

''I was given a negative result during the antigen test when I was affected with the disease...but tested positive in the RT-PCR later. The government's complete reliance on less accurate rapid tests has resulted in the state homes turning into COVID-19 clusters,'' he said in a Facebook post. 

When all other states relied completely on RT-PCR tests, Kerala had taken preventive steps based on the results of rapid tests, he alleged. 

He also wanted the government not to limit the decision to carry out complete RT-PCR tests in just six districts but across the state. 

Meanwhile, Health Minister Veena George said the tele-medicine platform E-Sanjeevani has been strengthened by including the service of more specialty doctors in view of the continuing spread of the virus infection. New OP services are being started at the the paediatric cardiology department of the Sree Chitra Institute here and the Child Development Centre as part of the plan, she said. 

The platform would help people to seek treatment staying safe at home avoiding hospital visits as much as possible during the pandemic, she said adding the service of a total of 4,365 doctors is available at E-Sanjeevani.