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Covid-19: Can at-home tests detect Omicron? Here's what experts are saying

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said this week that although the rapid tests work to detect coronavirus infection even though several new variants have come along, they may have reduced sensitivity when it comes to detecting the Omicron variant.

Preliminary research indicates that Omicron may still be a bit harder to detect through at-home Covid-19 than the other variants of the coronavirus. (Representational Image / AP)

science

Published on Jan 02, 2022 06:04 PM IST

Written by Joydeep Bose | Edited by Poulomi Ghosh, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

UK under Omicron's shadow, daily Covid-19 cases highest since January

The Omicron variant is growing “rapidly” in all regions of England and it is spreading faster than Delta, the latest data from UKHSA has revealed. Omicron is expected to be the dominant variant in Britain by the middle of this month, it said.

People walk through Westminster Underground station during morning rush hour, amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in London, Britain. (File Photo / REUTERS)

world news

Published on Dec 11, 2021 06:01 AM IST

ANI |

Price of ‘popular’ rapid PCR test slashed to ₹3,500 at Delhi airport

Genestrings says till 7pm Thursday, over 3,000 tests were conducted, while on Wednesday, the first day of the new guidelines, around 2,100 tests were conducted.

Passengers queue for document verification at Terminal 3 of Delhi’s IGI airport on Thursday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT)

cities

Published on Dec 03, 2021 12:21 AM IST

ByJasjeev Gandhiok, New Delhi

Freshers' party turns Covid super-spreader in Karnataka, at least 281 infected

In addition to Karnataka, several other states have also reported a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in recent days.

Karnataka: Around 281 individuals, who either attended the party or were infected via people who did, have so far tested positive for Covid-19. (File Photo )

india news

Published on Nov 28, 2021 08:19 AM IST

Written by Joydeep Bose | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Frequent mutations, rapid spread: New Covid variant found in South Africa

A recent surge in Covid-19 cases in South Africa seems to have been driven by a new variant of the coronavirus, which shows a high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people.

Healthcare workers assist patients being treated at a makeshift hospital run by charity organisation The Gift of the Givers, during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak at Johannesburg in South Africa. (File Photo / REUTERS)

world news

Updated on Nov 26, 2021 11:55 AM IST

Written by Joydeep Bose | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Cipla's real-time Covid-19 testing kit 'ViraGen' to be sold from today

The Covid-19 detection kit is approved by the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and uses multiplex PCR technology.

Cipla will start supplying the Covid-19 testing kits from Tuesday, the company said in a statement.(Representational Image)

india news

Published on May 25, 2021 07:08 AM IST

Written by Prashasti Singh, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

QR code on RT-PCR reports must for passengers flying out of India from today

The rule is applicable to all those passengers who are required to carry a negative RT-PCR test report as per the guidelines issued by their respective destination countries.

Covid-19 testing labs started providing QR codes on RT-PCR test reports after cases of people editing the reports to show a negative result to meet the regulatory requirements were reported.(ANI)

india news

Published on May 22, 2021 09:30 AM IST

Written by Prashasti Singh | Edited by Avik Roy, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Karnataka to provide Covid-19 test results within seven hours: Deputy CM

Karnataka deputy chief CN Ashwatha Narayana said that providing reports of Covid tests and Bengaluru Urban (BU) code number generation will be made to happen within 7 hours.

Karnataka deputy chief minister said that as per the procedure, once the laboratories upload the positive test result on the ICMR portal, it should generate the Bengaluru Urban (BU) code number. (File Photo)

cities

Published on May 06, 2021 09:50 AM IST

ANI |

Negative RT-PCR report needed to enter Himachal Pradesh from today

Travelers from Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh need to produce an RT-PCR negative report, the government said.

The decision came as the hill state reported 11 fresh Covid-19 fatalities, pushing the death toll to 1,146 on Thursday.(Deepak Sansta/HT)

india news

Published on Apr 16, 2021 02:03 PM IST

Written by Prashasti Singh, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Delhi Covid-19 testing labs at capacity, home collections hit

The Capital conducted over 100,000 tests thrice in the last seven days. In the first week of March, it was at an average of around 63,500 a day.

The Union government has advised states to carry out at least 70% of the tests using this method since it is more accurate than the rapid antigen tests.(HT Photo)

cities

Published on Apr 13, 2021 02:33 AM IST

ByAnonna Dutt, New Delhi

ICMR DG says India controlled spread of Covid-19 faster than other nations

Bhargava also lauded healthcare officials and India’s vaccine manufacturers for quickly developing the two Covid-19 vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin - within a short period of time.

Bhargava said that India scaled up its testing capacity in a short period of time.(ANI File)

health

Updated on Feb 03, 2021 05:38 PM IST

Byhindustantimes.com | Edited by Shankhyaneel Sarkar, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Dubai closes bars, limits activities after virus cases spike

Because of the rise in the coronavirus cases, on Monday, Dubai announced that they will require test results from all the passengers entering the premises. That is not all even bars have been closed for a month and crowd limits have been put on cinemas, hotels, malls and other destinations

lifestyle

Updated on Feb 02, 2021 07:37 AM IST

AP | , Dubai

China’s Zero-Tolerance Covid Approach Now Includes Anal Swabs

Some residents in China’s northern regions have been subjected to the anal swabs with little warning. It involves the insertion of a saline-soaked cotton swab about two-to-three centimeters into the anus, with the sample then tested for the virus.

China on Tuesday locked down a city of 4.9 million residents near Beijing as authorities continued to battle a surge in Covid-19 infections across the country.(via REUTERS)

world news

Updated on Jan 27, 2021 03:04 PM IST

Bloomberg |

India scales up Covid-19 testing capacity from 1 in Jan to 7.7 crore in Oct: Health ministry

The MoHFW also said that the increased pace of testing has led to “early identification, prompt isolation, and effective treatment of Covid-19 cases. These have eventually resulted in a sustained low Fatality Rate.”

As per the MoHFW, 7,78,50,403 tests for Covid-19 were conducted in the country on October 3 which marks a new high.(Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

india news

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:44 PM IST

New Delhi | ByAsian News International | Posted by Prashasti Singh

Trump’s Covid-19 testing chief defends new advice after blowback

The new recommendations say testing may not be needed for asymptomatic close contacts and those who attended large, risky gatherings but lack symptoms.

A health worker stores a swab sample to test for coronavirus infection.(Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

world news

Updated on Aug 27, 2020 06:09 AM IST

ByBloomberg | Posted by Prashasti Singh

Record 52,123 cases, 775 fatalities push India’s Covid-19 tally to over 1.58 million

The government, meanwhile, announced guidelines for opening up more activities outside the containment zones from August 1, when the third phase of relaxations kick in.

A health worker in PPE kit collects a swab sample from a man for coronavirus test, at Geeta Colony in New Delhi on Wednesday.(Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Jul 30, 2020 09:42 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Byhindustantimes.com | Edited by: Amit Chaturvedi

Mumbai has conducted 2.12 lakh Covid-19 tests, with positivity of 20.4%

On May 6, roughly a month ago, the coronavirus positivity percentage stood at 10%, according to data available with Hindustan Times.

The positivity percentage is calculated as the number of people testing positive from among the total number of tests.(PTI)

cities

Updated on Jun 05, 2020 11:34 AM IST

Mumbai, Hindustan Times | ByEeshanpriya MS

Wuhan tests millions in 12 days as China fears second virus wave

According to data, a total of 6.68 million people underwent nucleic acid tests, of which 206 asymptomatic cases were reported.

The ambitious testing mission was announced on May 12, days after new infections emerged for the first time since a 76-day lockdown was lifted in Wuhan in April.(Reuters)

world news

Updated on May 26, 2020 03:24 PM IST

ByBloomberg | Posted by: Shivani Kumar

Centre nudges Bihar to scale up Covid-19 testing as number of cases rise

Bihar’s case doubling period was eight days (as on May 19) against the national average of 13.28 days. It was testing 466 out of every 1 million people, as of May 21.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has already asked his officers to ramp testing from an average 2,000 to 10,000 per day.(Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

cities

Updated on May 23, 2020 07:02 PM IST

Patna, Bihar | ByRuchir Kumar

UK government accused of virus testing failures

In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, committee chairman Greg Clark said Britain’s testing capacity “drove strategy, rather than strategy driving capacity.”

The UK authorities initially sought to trace and test everyone who had been in contact with people infected with the coronavirus.(Reuters)

world news

Updated on May 19, 2020 02:57 PM IST

London, United Kingdom | ByAssociated Press | Posted by Shivani Kumar

News updates from Hindustan Times: ICMR revises strategy for Covid-19 testing and all the latest news

Here are today’s top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

The revised strategy proposes all symptomatic individuals with history of international travel in the last 14 days to be tested.(ANI)

india news

Updated on May 18, 2020 05:03 PM IST

New Delhi, Delhi | ByHT Correspondent

India clocks one million RT-PCR tests for Covid-19

The milestone came on a day when the number of Covid-19 cases in the country climbed to 37,776 and casualties rose to 1,223. A total of 10,017 have recovered from the deadly infection.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has ramped up testing to more than 75,000 samples per day.(Burhaan Kinu/HT photo)

india news

Updated on May 02, 2020 08:14 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByHT Correspondent| Edited by: Sabir Hussain

Doctors get legal shield, reports on casualties spark concerns: Covid-19 news today

Here is a preview of the top Covid-19 news today from India and the world.

On Sunday, the burial of Samuel Hercules, a doctor in Chennai, was disrupted by violent protesters who damaged the ambulance carrying his body and injured its driver out of fear of the spread of the coronavirus.(Reuters photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 23, 2020 09:00 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByHT Correspondent

Maharashtra government awaits experts’ nod to initiate rapid testing process for coronavirus

The presence of antibodies could indicate if a person is infected. The central government had procured 5.5 lakh RTKs from China for antibiotic diagnosis among suspected Covid-19 patients.

However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), in some cases, antibodies are not produced in the bodies of patients carrying the Covid-19 pathogens.(Sanchit Khanna/HT file photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 21, 2020 10:14 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Mumbai | ByRupsa Chakraborty

Gurugram health dept starts antibody tests in Sohna

Officials said that the result of all five tests carried out at the sub-divisional hospital in Sohna on Monday was negative.

cities

Updated on Apr 21, 2020 11:34 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Gurugram | ByHT Correspondent

Japan expands testing as Covid-19 infections mount

Experts say Japan’s strategy of keeping the number of PCR tests low has made it difficult to trace the disease as it spread in Tokyo and other big cities and led to a wave of in-hospital infections, crippling some facilities.

Japan conducted about 52,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in March, or just 16% of the number carried out in South Korea, according to data from Oxford University.(Reuters file photo)

world news

Updated on Apr 18, 2020 10:46 AM IST

Tokyo | ByReuters

4,000 Covid-19 rapid test kits allocated to Meghalaya, says CM

The state has been allocated 4,000 rapid test kits.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.(PTI file photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 18, 2020 09:25 AM IST

Shillong | ByPress Trust of India

RBI lends a helping hand, Wuhan revises death toll: Top Covid-19 news today

Here is a preview of the top Covid-19 news today from India and the world.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das.(PTI file photo)

india news

Updated on Apr 18, 2020 07:33 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByHT Correspondent

Karnataka to buy 2 lakh rapid test kits for Covid-19 detection

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other senior officials were present at the task force meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayan.

Moreover, 250 kiosks will be set up in the state to collect saliva samples of a person with Covid-19 symptoms. Such kiosks will be launched one-by-one in taluks of the state.(Reuters file photo. Representative image)

cities

Updated on Apr 17, 2020 01:32 PM IST

Bengaluru | ByAsian News International

FDA approves synthetic swabs for Covid-19 testing in United States

The United States has recorded more fatalities from Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, than any other country, with 30,961 deaths and 636,937 confirmed cases.

US Cotton, the largest manufacturer of cotton swabs in the country, developed a polyester-based Q-tip-type swab that is fully compatibility with Covid-19 testing, FDA said.(Reuters. Representative image)

world news

Published on Apr 17, 2020 06:26 AM IST

Bengaluru | ByReuters

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coronavirus testing news

Latest from coronavirus testing

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said this week that although the rapid tests work to detect coronavirus infection even though several new variants have come along, they may have reduced sensitivity when it comes to detecting the Omicron variant.

The Omicron variant is growing “rapidly” in all regions of England and it is spreading faster than Delta, the latest data from UKHSA has revealed. Omicron is expected to be the dominant variant in Britain by the middle of this month, it said.

Genestrings says till 7pm Thursday, over 3,000 tests were conducted, while on Wednesday, the first day of the new guidelines, around 2,100 tests were conducted.

In addition to Karnataka, several other states have also reported a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in recent days.

A recent surge in Covid-19 cases in South Africa seems to have been driven by a new variant of the coronavirus, which shows a high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people.

The Covid-19 detection kit is approved by the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and uses multiplex PCR technology.

The rule is applicable to all those passengers who are required to carry a negative RT-PCR test report as per the guidelines issued by their respective destination countries.

Karnataka deputy chief CN Ashwatha Narayana said that providing reports of Covid tests and Bengaluru Urban (BU) code number generation will be made to happen within 7 hours.

Travelers from Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh need to produce an RT-PCR negative report, the government said.

The Capital conducted over 100,000 tests thrice in the last seven days. In the first week of March, it was at an average of around 63,500 a day.

Bhargava also lauded healthcare officials and India’s vaccine manufacturers for quickly developing the two Covid-19 vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin - within a short period of time.

Because of the rise in the coronavirus cases, on Monday, Dubai announced that they will require test results from all the passengers entering the premises. That is not all even bars have been closed for a month and crowd limits have been put on cinemas, hotels, malls and other destinations

Some residents in China’s northern regions have been subjected to the anal swabs with little warning. It involves the insertion of a saline-soaked cotton swab about two-to-three centimeters into the anus, with the sample then tested for the virus.

The MoHFW also said that the increased pace of testing has led to “early identification, prompt isolation, and effective treatment of Covid-19 cases. These have eventually resulted in a sustained low Fatality Rate.”

The new recommendations say testing may not be needed for asymptomatic close contacts and those who attended large, risky gatherings but lack symptoms.

The government, meanwhile, announced guidelines for opening up more activities outside the containment zones from August 1, when the third phase of relaxations kick in.

On May 6, roughly a month ago, the coronavirus positivity percentage stood at 10%, according to data available with Hindustan Times.

According to data, a total of 6.68 million people underwent nucleic acid tests, of which 206 asymptomatic cases were reported.

Bihar’s case doubling period was eight days (as on May 19) against the national average of 13.28 days. It was testing 466 out of every 1 million people, as of May 21.

In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, committee chairman Greg Clark said Britain’s testing capacity “drove strategy, rather than strategy driving capacity.”

Here are today’s top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

The milestone came on a day when the number of Covid-19 cases in the country climbed to 37,776 and casualties rose to 1,223. A total of 10,017 have recovered from the deadly infection.

Here is a preview of the top Covid-19 news today from India and the world.

The presence of antibodies could indicate if a person is infected. The central government had procured 5.5 lakh RTKs from China for antibiotic diagnosis among suspected Covid-19 patients.

Officials said that the result of all five tests carried out at the sub-divisional hospital in Sohna on Monday was negative.

Experts say Japan’s strategy of keeping the number of PCR tests low has made it difficult to trace the disease as it spread in Tokyo and other big cities and led to a wave of in-hospital infections, crippling some facilities.

The state has been allocated 4,000 rapid test kits.

Here is a preview of the top Covid-19 news today from India and the world.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other senior officials were present at the task force meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayan.

The United States has recorded more fatalities from Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, than any other country, with 30,961 deaths and 636,937 confirmed cases.

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