kolkata a detailed travel history and contact record of all those who test negative in a rapid antigen test will now be sought across the state the state has decided that those who test negative despite covid symptoms will be put through an rtpcr test to rule out the possibility of false negative which rapid tests are known to generate on saturday the bengal government announced that those who now test negative in a rapid antigen test will be made to take an rtpcr additionally both nasal and oral samples will be collected from people who come in for rapid antigen tests from now on to facilitate repeat testswhile teaching hospitals at the districts have rtpcr facilities health facilities at the lower levels subdivisional hospitals and blocklevel health centres have been relying on rapid tests to screen covid patients it has now been decided that rtpcr tests will be extended and those undergoing rapid antigen tests will be screened a detailed report of their recent travel history will be sought along with test reports of their family members every such individual will be asked to divulge hisher contact record in the recent past to trace exposure to covid patients in case they have symptoms and have been exposed to a covid patient we will ignore the rapid antigen test report if its negative the individual will be made to take an rtpcr which is more sensitive and more likely to detect the virus said a state health official he added that while priority may be given to those with symptoms everyone testing negative in rapid antigen tests will be tested through rtpcra recent icmr advisory mentioned that those who test negative for covid19 by rapid antigen test should definitely be tested sequentially by rtpcr to rule out infection whereas a positive test should be considered a true positive without reconfirmation the advisory further said that those from containment zones or hot spots should be made to undergo an rtpcr along with all symptomatic influenzalike illness ili asymptomatic direct and highrisk contacts with comorbidities lung disease heart disease liver disease kidney disease diabetes neurological disorders and blood disorders of a confirmed case to be tested once between day five and 10 of contactrtpcr is the gold standard of covid testing and needs to be used to effectively check cases from slipping through the net said the health official adding that quality of rapid test kits being used too was suspect it wont be difficult to trace those who need to be tested since all data is kept he said doctors said the decision was the right step rapid tests are meant for immediate results they have a lower sensitivity than rtpcr and lead to more false negative reports said institute of postgraduate medical education research professor diptendra sarkaraccording to rajya sabha mp and kmc health advisor shantanu sen both oral and nasal swabs will be collected from now on while a rapid antigen test is done from a