Rapid Tests Outside Wedding Venues: Is This The Safest Way To Celebrate Your Wedding?

Now this one might be the game changer we were all hoping for. Of course, no COVID would be the ideal situation, but with the cards we are all dealt with these days, this one seems like a silver lining. Rapid test kits are here, and they might just change the way weddings are happening right now. After all, even if the number of guests attending weddings has officially been increased, the mental stress that comes with organising a sizeable gathering cannot be ignored, especially when there are talks of the third COVID wave being just round the corner. While what will set the third wave apart from waves 1 and 2 will be the fact that a chunk, at least a small one of the urban populace, is vaccinated, that still doesn't mean that it's a free pass for people to party without keeping COVID measures in check. That is where Rapid testing can really make a difference.

What is Rapid Testing for COVID?

Rapid self-testing kits are here, which can easily be done by the person themselves or with a little help from someone. The results are instant, faster than any other test in the market available in India. Rapid testing is already being implemented on a pretty large scale abroad, for everything from movie shoots to weddings these days. 

How do these Rapid Test kits work?

Taking the test takes about 2 minutes. The first step to taking the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), is to register the user on a mobile app. The kit comes with everything- one has to take a nasal swab, put it in a pre-filled extraction tube, add two drops of the swab sample to the test platform, and wait for 15 minutes. It works something like a pregnancy test. If the platform shows one line, the result is negative, and if it shows two, it’s positive. Results after 20 minutes cannot be considered valid. The test card also has a QR code that can be scanned on the app. Easy, peasy right?

Which are the Rapid test kids available in India? 

While Singapore even has a breathalyser test for COVID that gives results in 60 seconds, there are currently only nasal swab test kits available in India. The three kits currently available are all rapid antigen tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus and smartphone apps to confirm the final results, in accordance with ICMR guidelines. 

Currently, three covid-19 home test kits have been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR): CoviSelf from Maharashtra-based Mylab, the Panbio COVID-19 test from US-based Abbott, and the CoviFind COVID-19 rapid antigen self-test from Gujarat-based Meril Diagnostics. The fourth in the works is by IIT Hyderabad, where researchers have  developed India’s first bio-electronic rapid test kit, Covi-Home.

Are these Rapid Antigen Test Kits reliable? 

At present, RT-PCR is the gold standard and go-to option for COVID testing, it does take 3-4 days to get results. RAT tests might not be as accurate as RT-PCR, but they get the job done immediately. However, there are also a lot of false negatives. When using antigen tests, a significant number of people infected with the virus show up as negative, which means these people will likely spread the virus to others thinking they are healthy. That's why many experts have concerns about relying solely on antigen tests. Currently they come with a reliability of only 50-60 percent. But there is more research happening on these kits, and they are expected to improve in reliability very soon.

How expensive are the Rapid Test kits?

Here are the current prices of the test kits available in India:

• Mylab's CoviSelf costs ₹250.
• Abbott's Panbio costs ₹325.
• Meril Diagnostics' CoviFind costs ₹250.

So when it comes to a wedding, it's not too much of an additional cost to incur per person, especially if you're entertaining a limited number of guests. 

So as you can see, there are a lot of benefits to using these kits right now. If you plan to have a destination wedding, we would definitely recommend getting everyone to isolate and get their RT-PCR tests done before travelling. But if the wedding is local, then getting Rapid Antigen Test kits at the venue just before the guests enter is not a bad idea, 'cz you know, some testing is better than no testing. But still try and keep some social distancing measures in check.

Where can you buy the RAT kits?

These test kits are available online and offline. 1MG sells them, and online, you can buy them on the company's website, Amazon and Flipkart.

While testing the guests and the vendors is one thing, another great way to ensure a #SafeWedding during this pandemic is to hire vaccinated vendors. Trust WedMeGood to let you filter vendors by their vaccination status to make your booking easier, and your wedding, safer. So, download the WMG App today and book your vendors responsibly.