Lack of medium slows down COVID-19 testing in Andhra Pradesh

ICMR nod for pooled samples testing awaited; new Centres likely to be started in Hindupur, Anantapur, and Kadiri

Negative Pressure Laboratory at RDT Bathalapalli Hospital in Anantapur.

Samples for COVID-19 testing are piling up in all districts in the State due to short supply of Viral Lysis Medium (VLM) and Viral Transport Medium (VTM) for TrueNAT Machines, on which Andhra Pradesh is harping to ramp up its testing capacity

Anantapur Government Medical College Microbiology Laboratory currently has the capacity to test a maximum of 90 samples a day. For a couple of days the flow of results could be slow until the VLMs and VTMs reach Anantapur, Visakhapatnam and other districts with high incidence of positive cases.

Presumptive testing stopped

The COVID-19 presumptive testing has been stopped at the RDT Bathalapalli Negative Pressure Laboratory as it was waiting for the medium to land. Going by the assurances given by the State TB Control authorities, A.P. had only 2,000 units with them. So it had ordered 10,000 more and would ensure landing of these VLM and VTM cartridges by Thursday afternoon so that testing of samples could be started again by the early hours of Friday.

While the VTM cartridges need to be tested in Bio-Safe Negative Pressure Laboratory or a Virology Laboratory, the VLM cartridges can be used anywhere - places where the concentration of likely positive cases is more. In Anantapur district, Hindupur being the hotspot of COVID-19 cases, the administration is planning to deploy all its 18 TrueNAT machines available in the district at Hindupur, Anantapur and Kadiri.

Pooled testing: a cost and time saver

A ray of hope, however, is ICMR’s likely approval to pooled samples testing, to save precious testing resources in the country. “If the ICMR approves it, six samples can be tested at one go. Only if the sample turns positive, all of them are tested individually. Otherwise a lot of time and money can be saved,” opines Bathalapalli laboratory head Raghu Prakash Reddy.

The samples in TrueNAT machines with VLM cartridges destroys the virus after the test, thus posing no problem. Testing can be done in an open environment also instead of a sealed virology laboratory needed for a VTM cartridge.