In a bid to reduce pressure on diagnostic facilities that have been stretched to the limit, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved the first self-use Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kit, developed by Pune-based MyLab Discovery Solutions, that detects coronavirus infection in 15 minutes. The test can be completed in two minutes only while the result can be obtained in just 15 minutes, enabling people to take protective and quarantine measures almost immediately after suspicion of infection.

"It takes two minutes to conduct test and 15 minutes to get result. It will be available by end of next week in more than seven lakh pharmacies and our online pharmacy partners across India. Our target is to reach 90 per cent pin code in India," Sujeet Jain, Director of Mylab Discovery Solutions - the firm that produced the kit - was quoted by news agency ANI.

"This test is for self-use. If you test positive via this there is no need for RT-PCR test, as per ICMR. Any adult can use this kit by reading our manual," he added.

However, the kit should be used only by the people in close contact with people who have tested positive in a laboratory test or are symptomatic, ICMR has advised.

Further, "Indiscriminate testing is not advised," should not be done, it added while issuing detailed guidelines on the kit's use.

"All symptomatic individuals who test negative by RAT should get themselves immediately tested by RT-PCR," the top medical body added.

Users have to upload CoviSelf test results to a mobile app available in Google Play Store or the Apple Store, the ICMR said.

"All users are advised to click a picture of the test strip after completing the test procedure with the same mobile phone," it said.