Amritsar medical college to start corona testing facility
AMRITSAR: A day after two Italybased Hoshiarpur residents tested positive for Covid-19 in their preliminary test, the health department has decided to start a specialised medical test for confirming the virus at the Government Medical College, Amritsar.
The microbiology department of the medical college will conduct reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on suspected coronavirus patients at the “swine flu influenza lab”. The health department has started setting up equipment for the test.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the diagnosis of Covid-19 must be confirmed by RT-PCR test or gene sequencing for respiratory or blood specimens, as the key indicator for hospitalisation.
“Amritsar records highest tourist footfall among other districts of Punjab. People from all parts of world visit the holy city to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple. Since coronavirus cases are rising in the country, a large numbers of samples are being sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, and Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), Delhi. This is delaying the test reports,” said civil surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal.
“The lab with at RT-PCR machine will start functioning at the Amritsar Medical College within three-four days. After conducting a trial, we will send a report to the NIV, Pune, and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for confirmation. If the report of the Amritsar lab matches with that of the NIV, they will give us authority to conduct the tests here and we will start the facility within a week,” she added. If authorised, there will be no need to send samples to NIV, Pune, for conformation.
The health department will first conduct the preliminary “E-gene” test on suspected patient. The doctors, in the hourlong preliminary test, will check if the samples contain the virus of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and sars-coronavirus-2. If the sample shows the presence of any of the two viruses, he/she will be declared positive for Covid-19 in the preliminary test.
“For conformation, the doctors will then conduct second and third phase of the RT-PCR test, which will include “ORF 1d” and “RdRp” test. If positive, the patient will be declared a confirmed case of coronavirus. The second and third phase RT-PCR test takes two hours for completion,” said the civil surgeon.
HOSHIARPUR PATIENTS’ REPORT YET TO COME
The NIV report of a father-son duo from Hoshiarpur, who returned from coronavirus-hit Italy on Wednesday and were tested positive for the virus in the preliminary test on Saturday, is yet to come. The man, 44, and his son, 15, have been admitted to the isolation ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital,. “Their condition is improving,” said Dr Raman Sharma, medical superintendent, GNDH.
3 MORE ADMITTED TO ISOLATION WARD
Three more people, who showed symptoms of coronavirus, have been admitted to the isolation ward of the GNDH, said Dr Johal, adding that the count of suspected patients has reached seven at the GNDH. “A couple from Australia has been kept in isolation after they complained of fever and cough at Amritsar airport. Also, a Dubai-returned man showed symptoms of coronavirus and has been shifted to the isolation,” said Dr Johal.