Chandigarh, Jun 28 (IANS): The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has initiated a programme of clinical trials for rapid antigen detection for COVID-19 patients.

The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) hospital is one among them, officials said on Sunday.

The decision has been made considering the high surge in the number of COVID patients in last few days.

The procedure will not only help keep a track on the increasing number of COVID-19 patients but also enable easy access to detect the affected COVID-19 patients on a larger scale within a short span of time.

The ICMR has identified seven tertiary-care hospitals across the country to initiate trials and the PGIMER has been selected as one of the sites to be part of this programme for critically-ill COVID-19 patients.

Responding to the development, PGIMER director Jagat Ram said, "The availability of antigen-based detection tests is very limited all across the world."

"Most of such tests have relatively moderate sensitivity but high specificity. The test is a promising tool to keep a track of COVID patients by rapid testing. We are thankful to ICMR for having entrusted us with the responsibility," he added.

On the execution plan, the director said, "A committee will be constituted to work out the modalities and comprehensive plan along with timelines to meet the desired expectations of the ICMR and contribute towards containing the pandemic."