A Made in India COVID-19 self-test kit for Rs 250

Good morning!

Labs across the country are struggling to deliver tests and test results on time, further impacting India's efforts to fight COVID-19.

To enable people to self-test and slow down the spread, Pune-based molecular diagnostics startup Mylab Discovery Solutions commercially launched its COVID-19 self-test kit, CoviSelfTM. The self-use rapid antigen COVID-19 test, priced at Rs 250, will be available over-the-counter at pharmacies and drugstores across India, as well as on Flipkart. 

"We aim to make CoviSelf available across the length and breadth of the country, especially for the people residing in rural areas who have limited options for testing,” said Hasmukh Rawal, Managing Director of Mylab Discovery Solutions.

Mylab plans to make these test kits available on the government e-marketplace as well. Based on consumer demand, the startup plans to make seven million units available per week. 

Earlier this year, Mylabs also introduced mobile testing labs across the country to address the increasing demand for coronavirus testing.

Read all about how the Indian startup ecosystem is battling the second wave of COVID-19 here.

Here are some useful tools to help you find the nearest vaccine centres in real-time.

You can also share a tribute to COVID-19 warriors, saviours, and survivors here.

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The travel and hospitality industry was hit hard by both the first and the second waves of the coronavirus pandemic, drying up tourism and the demand for travel vanishing almost overnight. 

In our new series Human Beyond Resources, Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip discusses the various initiatives that the online travel booking company has introduced for the well-being of its employees, new workspace models, empathetic leadership, when travel is expected to pick up, and much more.

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News & Updates

• Reliance Industries' R&D arm has submitted a proposal for the application of Niclosamide as a potential drug against COVID-19. Niclosamide, which is on the WHO’s list of essential medicines, has been used to treat tapeworm infestation around the world for more than 50 years.

• WhatsApp said its recent policy update does not change the privacy of people's personal messages, and it has already written to the government seeking to assure them that the privacy of users remains its highest priority.

• Mylab will roll out one million self-test kits, starting from Thursday. The kits will be available for over-the-counter purchase at pharmacies and drugstores across India and can also be ordered online on Flipkart.

• Noted Indian economist Kalpana Kochhar, who heads the Human Resources Department at the IMF, is retiring next month after serving for over three decades with the organisation to join the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

• The Serum Institute of India has applied to the Drug Controller General of India, seeking permission to manufacture the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for examination, test, and analysis at its licensed Hadapsar facility in Pune.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“This is the biggest crisis our country has ever faced. With CoviSelf, we are sharing the power of testing early with the citizens. It will save thousands of lives.”

— Hasmukh Rawal, Managing Director of Mylab Discovery Solutions

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