12 new labs set to boost Covid-19 sample testing in Uttar Pradesh
LUCKNOW : The RT-PCR method used for testing samples of suspected Covid patients is likely to get a boost in Uttar Pradesh with the start of twelve new laboratories of the biosafety level-2 (BSL-2) standard by April end.
Additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said, “Twelve new laboratories are being set up at Amethi, Auraiya, Bijnor, Kushinagar, Deoria, Mau, Siddharthnagar, Sonbhadra, Bulandshahar, Kasganj, Mahoba and Sitapur districts for the RT-PCR sample test of the suspected Covid patients. The laboratories will start testing samples soon.”
“To increase Covid sample testing, the state health and family welfare department has also decided to use 300 TrueNat machines installed in various districts. The state government procured the TrueNat machines last year to increase the sample testing in the districts,” he said.
“After decline in the Covid cases, the machines were used for the sample testing of other diseases. The chief medical officers have been directed to use the TrueNat machines for carrying out Covid tests,” Prasad said.
A health department officer said Uttar Pradesh started its fight against Covid-19 with a single laboratory at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) by testing just 72 samples on March 23 last year. “Now the state has 125 laboratories in the government sector and 104 in the private sector for the Covid sample testing. The twelve new laboratories will give thrust to the Covid sample testing,” he said.
Additional chief secretary, information and MSME, Navneet Sehgal said the state was now testing over 2 lakh samples of which one lakh were RT-PCR tests.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday directed the state health department to conduct 1.50 lakh RT-PCR tests which is considered the gold standard of the Covid 19 testing. The CM also directed the minister in-charge of all the 75 districts to review the facilities provided to the Covid patients in meeting with the district magistrates regularly, Sehgal said.
“The start of the twelve new laboratories in the backward districts will help the patients in getting the sample test fast. It will also assist the department in checking the spread of the Sars-CoV-2 infection. The state government has laboratories in all the district as well as in medical colleges,” he said. “On Monday, the laboratories tested 2.18 lakh samples of which 97,000 samples were tested with RT-PCR method, taking the total tally of the samples tested in UP to 3.71 crore,” he added.
“The state health department has issued orders for the appointment of one medical officer, two non- medical scientists, three laboratories technician, one data entry operator and two laboratory assistants in each laboratory coming up in the 12 districts,” he said.