The issue of the effectiveness and accuracy of rapid antigen test (RAT) being conducted on a large scale to confirm if a person contracted COVID came up for discussion in Telangana High Court on Tuesday.
A bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B.Vijaysen Reddy was hearing a batch of 16 PIL pleas related to COVID when a petitioner’s counsel Chikkudu Prabhakar urged the court to instruct government to step up antigen tests. But what was the accuracy and effectiveness of the test, the CJ sought to know from the lawyer.
The CJ, citing media reports, said in Rajasthan, it was found that the accuracy of rapid antigen tests was not more than 40%. Hence the State administration there did not want to use those tests on a larger scale. “It is better to leave the decision to the government which can consult the high-power committee and medical fraternity on the matter,” the CJ remarked.
The bench also noted that there were conflicting and contradictory reports about the efficacy of N95 masks and different types of sanitisers. Justice Vijaysen Reddy said the government should ensure that media covered COVID statistics prominently, stating that IPL cricket matches’ results often made headlines for the print and electronic media.
Referring to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, the judge said the CS should take “unprecedented decisions since it was an unprecedented situation”. “People expect decisions from the CS. They will forget us but remember you,” the judge said.
Lawyer Vasudha Nagaraj, appearing for a petitioner, said the government should consider the plight of daily wagers and labourers who cannot afford to go to COVID care centres in star hotels proposed by government. “They lost jobs. Government should take help of NGOs and others to create isolation centres for the poor,” she said.
