Amid the third COVID-19 wave, the self-test kits are selling like hotcakes, raising serious concerns like infections going unreported. Experts and the chemist association are also worried about the dangers of missing out on positive results, as home-test kits are likely to give a negative report if the viral load is low. The sales of such kits have jumped over 100 per cent, and is a cause for concern considering the massive fall in daily cases  in Mumbai recently. Until last week, the city was reporting over 20,000 fresh infections, but over the past few days, the number had dropped to about 11,000. The BMC is working on a circular to monitor the sale and results of the kits. 

The Retail & Dispensing Chemists Association has asked all its members to maintain a record of the sales of self-test kits, and has also appealed to the government to look into the matter. Its president Prasad Danave said, “There has been a surge of more than 100 per cent in the sale of the self-test kits. The kits are selling like hotcakes and are beyond the control of the pharmacists. We are anticipating certain orders from the government to regulate the sale, and have asked our members to keep a record of the buyers.”