Meerut population 35 lakh, daily tests 2,000-2,500
MEERUT:The Covid-19 laboratory at Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial (LLRM) Medical College in Meerut has the capacity to test 1,800 to 2,000 samples every day on an average.
Besides Meerut, it has the responsibility to test samples from four other districts (Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Saharanpur and Sambhal). These five districts have a combined population of approximately 1.5 crore.
Meerut district alone has a population of over 35 lakh and the health department sends 2,000 to 2,500 samples from here every day for testing, including the rapid antigen test. Medical experts describe the rapid antigen test as good for screening but not foolproof. They suggest RT-PCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) as a credible test for Covid-19.
Zonal surveillance officer Dr Ashok Taliyan said 900 to 1000 s amples from Meerut district alone were sent for RT-PCR tests to the LLRM Covid lab and to three authorised private labs every day. Besides, around 1,500 tests were conducted through RAT procedure. This takes the total to about 2,500 per day. Samples from Muzaffarnagar (41.4 lakh population), Shamli (12.7 lakh population), Saharanpur (34.7 lakh population) and Sambhal ( 21.9 lakh population) also arrive at the LLRM lab for RT-PCR tests .
Dr Amit Garg, microbiologist and in-charge of LLRM lab, said the lab had the capacity to test 1,800 to 2,000 samples every day. Samples were received from five districts, including Meerut. The lab also has a TrueNat machine, which can test four samples at a time and give results within 60 to 90 minutes. It can conduct 30 to 40 tests a day. A similar machine is also installed at P L Sharma district hospital. Dr Garg clarified that TrueNat machines were largely used for emergency tests because it took six to eight hours to test one batch of samples using the RT-PCR method. He said the pendency or backlog was not more than 100 to 150 samples.
He said the lab had a staff of 10 persons for both RT-PCR and TruNat tests and further enhancement in testing capacity would require more staff.
Health officials, who refused to named, said that 2,000-2,500 in five districts was not enough and needed to be increased.
Asked about backlog of samples due to a limited capacity of RT-PCR tests, Dr Taliyan said: “Overstocked samples are sent to labs in Noida, Saifai, Aligarh and other labs. The LLRM lab stopped taking samples for four days due to a surfeit of samples and those samples were sent to KGMU Lucknow for testing.”
District surveillance officer Dr Vishwas Choudhary said the LLRM lab, three authorised private labs and the lab at Subharti Medical College also conducted RT-PCR tests. The combined figure of tests for these labs came to around 2,000 to 2,500 tests every day in Meerut district. Medical superintendent of Subharti Hospital Dr JP Singh said they took samples and conducted RT-PCR tests only for their hospital’s OPD patients.
He said that they converted a ward into a Covid hospital and those who tested positive in private labs and other government labs were admitted for treatment. After a week, their samples were sent to the LLRM Covid lab for a repeat test to confirm the status of infection, he added.
“We don’t conduct the repeat test at our lab,” said Dr Singh. He added that the hospital conducted 30 to 35 Covid-19 tests on an average every day for its OPD patients. The details of test results are shared on a portal as directed by ICMR.
This indicates that 900 to 1,000 samples of Meerut district that are sent for RT- PCR tests to the LLRM lab also include the repeat tests of those patients who are under treatment. This further decreases the number of new tests. The district has three authorised private labs for collection of samples . They dispatch collected samples to their labs in Delhi and Gurgaon. Praveen Kumar, incharge of collection centre of Modern Dignostic Lab of Gurgaon, said they collect samples from OPDs of private doctors as Covid test is mandatory before treating a patient.