COVID-19: Centre curbs export of rapid antigen testing kits amid fears of third wave

The Central government  has taken measures to curb the export of COVID rapid antigen testing kits amid warning of a possible third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification on Monday, 16 August, informed that restrictions have been imposed on the export. 

"The export of COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits... has been put under the restricted category, with immediate effect," the DGFT said in a notification.

In addition, the exporters are also required to procure a license or permission from the DGFT for any items that have been listed under the restricted category. The measures have been adopted to ensure the domestic availability of the kits. Experts have warned about a possible third wave in the future. 

COVID-19 cases in India 

India reported 32,937 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the total number of active COVID-19 cases to 3,81,947, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) informed. The fresh cases took the overall tally to 3,22,25,513, while 417 deaths took the death toll to 4,31,642. The national recovery rate remains at 97.48 per cent with 35,909 patients who have recovered during the last 24 hours. In addition, the weekly positivity rate still remains below 5 per cent and currently stands at 2.01%, slightly less than the past few weeks. 

As for vaccination update, the Union Health Ministry announced that 54.58 crore (54,58,57,108) people have been inoculated, including the ones in age groups above 18 and 45. In addition, more than 49.48 crore (49,48,05,652) COVID tests are conducted so far. 

With PTI Inputs