Thiruvananthapuram: Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology has developed a test kit that can confirm coronavirus disease in 15 minutes. The kits will be manufactured by Ubio Technologies that is based in Kochi.

The manufacturing will start next week and the cost of a kit is less than Rs 500. Ubio technologies has the infrastructure to manufacture 70 lakh test kits in a month. Since it will be manufactured on a large scale, it will reach the markets at a low cost.

The test will be conducted after spreading a drop of blood on a strip. The result can be known in 5 minutes if the blood is infected with the virus and if it is not, the result will take eight minutes.

The strip will have three lines. Once the blood falls on the strip, the mark on the control line will become clear. This would mean that the kit is functioning properly.  IGM line, IGG line are next. If IGM line becomes visible, it would mean that antibodies are present in the blood, which makes it Corona positive.

Dr Radhakrishnan, a scientist at RGCBT , states that speacialist training is not mandatory to operate the kit.  By next Wednesday, the kit will be submitted for the approval of ICMR.  Dr Bishom of Ubio Technologies was also a part of this research team. Dr Radhakrishnan said that test kits for the entire nation can be manufactured from the centre as it is manufactured on a large scale.