First mobile testing lab developed in AP
NEW DELHI: INDIA has developed its first mobile testing laboratory in Andhra Pradesh for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients that can be deployed at remote areas.
“India’s first mobile I- lab flagged off from @Ap_medtechzone. Built in 8 days flat, it is an on the wheel Bio Safety Level-2 Lab with on site Elisa, RTPCR & Biochem analysers. Can be readily deployed in the remotest locations. Kudos to Team,” Alok Kumar, member, Niti Aayog, tweeted on Monday.
Biological safety levels are ranked one to four, and assigned based on organisms researchers are dealing with. While level 1 is least hazardous, level 4 poses the maximum safety risk.
The organisms include viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, among others. Sars-cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is a biosafety level 2 virus.
The Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone Limited, where the mobile lab has been developed, is a 270acre zone dedicated for medical device manufacturing under the government of Andhra Pradesh. Inaugurated in 2018, it has been producing several key items in the fight against Covid-19, including testing kits and ventilators.
India has been ramping up its Covid-19 testing capacity. In February, just one laboratory — Pune’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) — was equipped to hold Covid-19 tests. Its daily capacity was at 2,500 tests.
At present, tests are being done in 907 labs across the country — 248 of them private — with a daily capacity of 300,000. Since January 22, India has tested is 59,21,069, samples; 154,935 of them were tested in the past 24 hours.
“The turnaround time for reports varies, but we usually try and give a report within 48 hours. It may take a little longer as the number of cases is rising but, our effort is to produce a report within 48 hours,” said a senior microbiologist at a government laboratory.
After reviewing the situation in Delhi, the Centre is also contributing towards helping the state enhance its testing capacity, with each of the 11 districts being assigned a set of labs exclusively for testing samples from that district. “This will ensure timely testing and results,” the health ministry said in a statement.