KATHMANDU: The government has procured RDT kits that show who has been infected recently and who is at the recovery stage.

The body makes antibodies in response to many illnesses and infections, including coronaviruses. The new test kits can detect two kinds of antibodies: immunoglobulin M (IgM) and G (IgG).

“If the blood tests positive for the antibody IgM, then the infection is recent. This antibody forms within five to seven days of infection. There are high chances for transmission of the disease when this antibody is present in the blood. If IgG is present in the blood, then the patient is in the recovery phase,” said Shravan Kumar Mishra, virologist at National Public Health Laboratory.

“RDT kits we had been using didn’t differentiate between the two types of antibodies. The new test kit will help us in finding active cases,” said Mishra.

“We’ve started using the new kits. However, those who test positive in the RDT test should still undergo a PCR test,” said Runa Jha, director at NPHL.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 16, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.