COVID TESTING LAB FOR AMETHI SANCTIONED

LUCKNOW: The state government has sanctioned a Covid testing laboratory for Amethi, a decision that would speed and scale up testing in the district, officials said.

“A Covid testing lab has been sanctioned for the district and work on it would soon begin. Efforts are on to get it functional soon. The testing lab would help save time as so far all RTPCR samples are sent to Lucknow’s Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) for testing,” said Amethi’s CDO Dr Ankur Lather. While thanking chief minister Yogi Adityanath for the decision, Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani said the move would benefit not just Amethi but adjoining districts too. The lab might take 3 months to be functional, officials said.

“I thank chief minister Yogi Adityanath ji for strengthening Amethi in its fight againt Covid-19 by sanctioning a Covid testing lab here. The move would also benefit Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh and adjoining districts,” Smriti tweeted. Daily more than 600 rapid antigen tests and nearly 550 RTPCR tests are being done in Amethi and officials said once the Covid testing lab was set up. Officials said this would mean more tests in lesser time. Amethi has a district hospital in Gauriganj and a 100bed referral hospital in Tiloi .

Covid patients from Amethi have also been admitted to various Lucknow hospitals, officials said. The district hospital has 10 ventilators while the referral hospital and district hospital together have 65 oxygen beds.

Three metric tonnes of liquid oxygen too had been sanctioned for Amethi, officials said.

THE MOVE WILL ALSO BENEFIT RAE BARELI, SULTANPUR, PRATAPGARH AND ADJOINING DISTRICTS