After the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) asked states to return the rapid antibody test kits and decided to stop using the kits made by two Chinese firms, China, on Tuesday, said that it was 'deeply concerned' over India's decision.
Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India Counselor Ji Rong said in a statement on Tuesday morning, "We are deeply concerned with the evaluation results and the decision made by the Indian Council of Medical Research. China attaches great importance to the quality of exported medical products. Recently, the Chinese Embassy in India has maintained close contact with ICMR and the two Chinese companies to find out the real situation."
China further appealed to India that the requirements for storage, transportation, and use of COVID-19 antibody rapid test kits need to be strictly adhered to in order to get satisfactory results and accurate observations. "ICMR also made it clear that rapid antibody test kits should only be used for surveillance purposes instead of replacing RT-PCR test to diagnose and confirm the cases, and States are advised to strictly abide by the methods and purpose of the usage according to ICMR clear instructions," the statement said.
ICMR on Rapid Testing Kits:
ICMR on Monday issued a rapid testing fact sheet and said that the orders for Chinese kits in question have been canceled.
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"After receipt of some supplies, ICMR has again conducted quality checks on these kits in field conditions. Based on the scientific assessment of their performance, the order in question (Wondfo) along with the order in respect of another make found under-performing have been canceled," the ICMR fact sheet read.
A controversy erupted after many states complained to the ICMR that the kits gave inaccurate results. The ICMR responded saying that the rapid antibody test kits were no substitute to RT-PCR (Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) kits, which are used to diagnose coronavirus.