First private lab starts testing, 28 samples screened on Day 1

Samples have been received both from pvt hospitals and individuals. Hospitals are sending us samples directly, we send teams for home collection. V LAL, director, Dr Lal Pathlabs

NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, Dr Lal Pathlabs became the first private lab in India to begin testing for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) after receiving approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to do so on Monday.

Since Sunday, ICMR has approved 26 private labs for testing and sample collection of Covid-19.

Dr Lal Pathlabs tested 28 swab samples on Tuesday despite movement of people being restricted with the city being in lockdown.

“The samples have been received both from private hospitals and individuals. While hospitals are sending us samples directly, we send teams for home collection to individuals. The restriction in movement has made it a bit difficult for our handlers who are facing problems in commuting, but we still managed to get 28 samples,” said Vandana Lal, director, Dr Lal Pathlabs.

Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, which also received permission from ICMR to start testing on Monday, will begin testing on Wednesday in a separate samplecollection isolation facility it has created away from the main hospital building.

“This has been done to ensure there is no possibility of intermingling of patients. Ideally, we would want people to call the hospital before coming in but even for walk-ins who want to consult a doctor for Covid-19 symptoms, the hospital staff have been trained to direct them towards the isolation facility. We are going to start by Wednesday as last minute things are being sorted out ,” said Dr Anupam Sibal, group medical director, Apollo Hospitals.

Only those people who fulfil the government of India’s criteria for Covid-19 testing will be tested, said the labs and hospitals doing the testing.

Private hospitals have been inundated with queries since Sunday about where and how to get tested. Dr Lal Pathlabs has created a separate helpline (0113988-5050) to handle the rush of queries related to Covid-19 testing on Tuesday.

“We already have about 30-40 queries from people interested in getting tested. We have created a list of FAQS to inform people who is eligible to be tested. It is important for people to know it is not a walk-in facility,” said Lal.

To be eligible to get tested, labs are asking for a duly filled form by a qualified physician, along with signature and stamp and government identity card to support the current address and contact number of the suspected case at the time of sample collection.

“The number of queries is huge, and we are telling everyone that it is not a walk-in test. People must know that the criteria have been very clearly laid out by the ICMR, and those criteria will be strictly adhered to. Those who do not meet the criteria will not be tested,” said Dr Sibal.

The testing criteria remain the same: symptomatic people with a history of international travel, or those with close contact with a laboratory positive case even though asymptomatic, and symptomatic health care workers. Those showing symptoms will be given priority.

Ten more private laboratories were approved for testing on Tuesday, taking the total number to 26 across India.

Of the 10 new laboratories approved on Tuesday, three are headquartered in Maharashtra (A.G. Diagnostics, Pune, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, Infexn Laboratories, Mumbai), two from Telangana (Vijaya Diagnostic Centre, Hyderabad, Vimta Labs, Hyderabad), two from Karnataka (Kasturba Hospital Lab Services, Manipal, Cancyte Technologies, Bengaluru), one from Gujarat (SN Genelab, Surat), one from Tamil Nadu (Neuberg Ehrlich Lab, Chennai) and one more from Delhi (Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket).

To test in the government sector, two more laboratories have been added, taking the number of government labs to 118.

“Together we have scaled up the testing capacity to 12,000 tests per day. The 26 lab chains that have been approved have about 15000 collection sites across India, which effectively means access to testing has increased by nearly double,” said Dr Raman R Gangakhekar, epidemiology head, ICMR, in a briefing.