The Indian government has ordered a pause in testing for antibodies to the coronavirus because of concern over the accuracy, health officials said on Wednesday. The move will complicate the fight against the epidemic as its tally of cases nears 20,000.
India trails many countries in conducting the standard swab tests to determine the presence of the novel coronavirus because of limited testing equipment and protective gear for medical workers.
Early this month, health authorities approved blood tests for coronavirus antibodies as a faster way to bolster the screening effort and they ordered more than a half-billion testing kits from China. However, the chief of epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr. R.R. Gangakhedkar, has asked health authorities to temporarily stop the tests for antibodies because of conflicting results.
The country has detected 19,983 cases of the coronavirus, after an increase of nearly 1,000 cases in one day. There have been 640 deaths, and officials say the infections could rise once a nearly six-week lockdown is lifted on May 3, Reuters said.
Tags: Indian government
