Full Form of RAT

The Full Form of RAT is Rapid Antigen Tests. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) were recommended in India for COVID-19 testing in June 2020. However, the use of these tests is currently limited to containment zones and health care settings. RAT has a short turnaround time of 15-30 minutes. Thus, it offers a considerable advantage of quick detection of cases and the opportunity to isolate and treat them early for curbing transmission. So far, ICMR has approved 36 RATs, of which 10 are on the GeM portal.

What is the Full Form of RAT in Medical?

A Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) is a laboratory test that detects human and animal antibodies. Rapid antigen tests can be applied for clinical diagnosis of various pathogens and phobias and help prevent HIV-1. The functional requirement of RATs includes · The test must differentiate between infectious agents, persons having the disease and patients having influenza or other allergic conditions. · Rapid antigen tests must be sensitive enough to detect antibodies at all times of the illness. · Speedier than ELISA, Rapid Antigen tests have excellent sensitivity. The test detects antibodies and not the actual virus. · They should be able to provide results in 15 minutes. Is It Safe to Use?

Rapid Antigen Testing

RAT detects infection with the molecular weight of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, which are carried on the virus’s surface. If a RAT is used at the point of illness, this will ensure that the right anti-viral therapy is given at the earliest. Besides, the use of RAT will also speed up the consultation-to-treatment time in the hospital, which, in turn, will decrease the overall mortality rate. To conclude, WHO has developed various tests to identify Zika, dengue and chikungunya. The WHO approved Rapid Antigen tests (RAT) are based on the molecular structure of the viruses. The facilities to test RATs are developed for Rs 25,000-Rs 50,000 per test, and insurance companies and health care plans cover it.

How does Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) work?

Rapid antigen tests help in quickly identifying patients with co-morbidities that increase the risk of contracting the disease. Its efficiency lies in rapidly finding out which patients are at risk of contracting infectious diseases. Furthermore, the test results are available within 15-30 minutes and enable the healthcare team to decide who to test and who to treat at that time. What are the advantages of RATs over culture tests? The samples are processed within 30 minutes of collection in RAT, and the results are ready in 15-30 minutes. But, the drawback is that in case of a chest infection or pneumonia, it takes longer for the results to come.

What is COVID-19, and why is it essential to detect it early?

COVID-19 is a rapid infectious disease serology assay (RAD assay) test for detecting many different types of bacteria, protozoa, viruses, parasites and fungi. It is also the first time it has been included to detect mRNAs of four dengue-susceptible strains. The first-of-its-kind system has been designed and developed by the National Institute of Virology, Pune. The entire trial was undertaken on only nine patients (two critical and six non-critical). The three crucial patients from Maharashtra have been discharged. While the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, New Delhi, has recommended an additional set of four patients for prospective approval.

Measures to ramp up testing through RAT

• RAT may be allowed at all available Government and private healthcare facilities.
• Set up dedicated RAT booths in cities, towns and villages to offer to test to people.
• Testing booths may be set up at multiple locations, including healthcare facilities, RWA, offices, schools, colleges, community centres and other available vacant spaces.
• These booths should be operational on a 24X7 basis to improve access and availability of testing.
• Drive-through RAT testing facilities may be created at convenient locations as identified by the local administration.
• Stringent measures must be instituted to avoid overcrowding at RAT testing facilities.

Additional advice

• All states are advised to fully utilize the available RTPCR testing capacity in public and private laboratories.

• RAT testing must be conducted in compliance with the ICMR advisory available at:

https://www.icmr.gov.in/pdf/covid/strategy/Testing_Strategy_v6_04092020.pdf

• Symptomatic individuals identified positively by RAT should not be re-tested and advised to go through home-based care as per ICMR guidelines available at: https://www.icmr.gov.in/pdf/covid/techdoc/COVID_HOME_CARE.pdf

• Symptomatic individuals identified negative by RAT should be linked with the RTPCR test facility and, in the meantime, be urged to follow home isolation and treatment.

• All RTPCR and RAT test results should be uploaded on the ICMR portal at: https://cvstatus.icmr.gov.in

• During the current upsurge of COVID-19 cases, any individual presenting with fever with/without cough, headache, sore throat, breathlessness, body ache, the recent loss of taste or smell, fatigue and diarrhoea should be considered as a suspect case of COVID-19 unless proven otherwise by confirmation of another aetiology.

• The vaccination status of all individuals tested for COVID-19 must be entered into the Sample Referral Form (SRF) in the RTPCR app, both for individuals tested by RTPCR and RAT. This information is of critical importance.

• Payment modalities for upscaled RAT testing may be decided by the state health authorities.

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Benefits of Rapid Antigen Testing

RAT offers advantages over other testing options: the test has a short turnaround time, can be done for multiple patients in a short period, and be distributed to various facilities and health care facilities. Also, it is performed as a 2-step procedure of pre-test/screening and post-test to detect the presence of MERS-CoV using RT-PCR. Validate RNA Profiling by RT-PCR For the time being, RNA profiling has been supported by the Centre for Disease Control in the USA and WHO for one validation of RNA profiling by RT-PCR. It helps in the identification of endemic regions for an infectious agent in disease-free countries. However, RNA profiling is not required for case isolation.

Limitations of Rapid Antigen Testing

Despite its significant advantages, RATs are not universally available as the use of appropriate tests is vital for management and compliance with the guidelines laid down for the quality and efficacy of testing. However, all the 34 companies approved by ICMR have commenced selling all the 36 approved Rapid Antigen Tests on GeM.

The Future of Digital Health

The immense possibilities of Digital Health are clear to see. Over the next few years, digital health services will change healthcare completely. They will enable doctors to view images of their patient’s anatomy, ultrasound scans etc., through a mobile app or computer. These methods will also ensure the real-time diagnosis of disease, rapid test results for various lab tests and may even reduce healthcare costs considerably. BharatMatri Bhava. Innovations in Digital Health can revolutionize healthcare and have a significant impact on its current limitations. With the help of sensors, smartphones sensors, phones, tablets, IV drips, wearable devices, wearables and bio-monitoring devices, we are sure to create a better future for healthcare.

Conclusion

The GeM initiative of the Government of India has made it easy to buy and sell these critical health and life-saving products. The Government of India’s move to make the GeM exclusive portal for these services is a step in the right direction to curb the private sector from selling into the markets that are open to public access. This, in turn, will protect the interests of the patients and protect the health and lives of the patients.

A Quick FAQ to RAT