COVID-19 update | Rajasthan slashes RT-PCR Covid test by private labs at Rs 800

Jaipur, Nov 28 The Rajasthan government on Saturday fixed the rate for Covid-19 RT-PCR tests by private labs in the state to Rs 800, slash..

PTI

November 28, 2020 / 08:23 PM IST

The Rajasthan government on Saturday fixed the rate for Covid-19 RT-PCR tests by private labs in the state to Rs 800, slashing it by Rs 400.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the government ordered the lowering of the Covid test rates from Rs 1,200 to Rs 800 following a drop in test kits’ prices. The state government issued the order slashing the Covid-19 test rate by private labs soon after the chief minister digitally inaugurated a 70-bed Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit in RUHS Hospital hee and disease testing labs in six towns.

8 states, UTs reported 69% of new COVID-19 cases in 24-hour span; tests per million cross 1 lakh

Speaking during the programme, Gehlot said his government is making all efforts to strengthen the Covid-19 management infrastructure. People should not be worried by the rise in positive cases as they will do due to the increasing number of tests, he said.

He sought to assure people of encouraging recovery rate in the state, saying Rajasthan has a Covid death rate below one per cent — one of the lowest in the country. Gehlot said the corona infection must not be hidden at any stage because delaying treatment makes the disease fatal.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

Show