Amritsar, Patiala, Chandigarh labs get nod for prelim testing
AMRITSAR : The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in the country for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, has authorised labs at Amritsar, Patiala and Chandigarh to conduct the preliminary E-Gene test for coronavirus patients. The approval for the labs— Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) — at government medical colleges in Amritsar, Patiala and at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, came through on Wednesday.
If a patient tests positive for the virus in VTDL, the health department will send the blood and throat swab samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The department said samples of suspected patients from Mohali, Rupnagar, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur will be tested at the PGIMER, Chandigarh. Samples from Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Pathankot, Tarn Taran and Moga will be tested in Amritsar. Samples from Patiala, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Mansa, Sangrur, Muktsar, Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib will be tested in Patiala. “We will send the ‘positive’ report to the NIV Pune for confirmation,” said Dr Raman Sharma, medical superintendent, Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.
TOURISTS FROM 7 NATIONS TO BE QUARANTINED
Every visitor reaching the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport from seven coronavirus hit countries, will be quarantined for 14 days in the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH), Amritsar.
Visitors with history of travel to China, Iran, Italy, Korea, France, Germany and Spain, will be quarantined, even if they don’t show the symptoms. Other visitors will be isolated if found with the symptoms.
GOVT WARNS AGAINST FAKE POSTS
Taking serious note of a fake online post that quoted Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on declaring holiday in educational institutions owing to coronavirus scare, the Punjab government on Thursday warned miscreants against such misleading acts. It also warned such people of taking strict action against them. In a post on Twitter, the government said: “The following post is fake, misleading and no such notice has gone out of the Government of Punjab handles. Stern action will be taken against the miscreants.”
AVOID HANDSHAKE: TAKHT JATHEDAR
Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on Thursday issued an advisory to the devotees visiting the Golden Temple and other gurdwaras to contain the virus spread. He said people should avoid handshake and greet each other with “Waheguru ji ka khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh”.