Covid-19 crisis: ICMR calls for rapid tests in hotspots as infections zoom

Daily tests doubled to 10,000; about 1,000 cases with Tablighi links reported, the govt said

As the number of coronavirus deaths and active cases rose sharply on Saturday, India’s apex health research body issued an advisory saying containment centres across the country start conducting rapid antibody tests to detect the infection. These tests use a blood sample and give the result within minutes.

Cases of the pandemic crossed the 3,000-mark in the country after a record jump in infections in the past 24 hours, while 13 new fatalities took the death toll to 75, the Union health ministry said. The active cases stood at 2,784, while 212 people were either cured or discharged, it said.