Coronavirus: Centre urged to provide kits to conduct tests in Hyderabad

Telangana government has urged Centre to provide requisite medical kits for conducting tests for coronavirus in Hyderab itself in case its severity increases and re is a possibility of it spreing to state also.

samples are presently being sent to National Institute of Virology at Pune. state government is taking all precautionary measures, state Health Minister E Rajender said on Wednesday.

"We urge Centre, in case severity (of virus) increases and if re is a possibility of it spreing in our region also, that we can conduct tests (for determination of virus) here itself..inste of sending it to Pune,if you can provide concerned kits to us," he told reporters. He said Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) and two government hospitals in city are equipped with latest lab facilities and felt that it would be possible to conduct tests for nCov determination.

Diagstic tests for swine flu and or viruses are alrey being conducted in city, he said. re has been positive case of nCov so far in country, according to him.

Passengers are being screened at international airport in Hyderab as part of precautionary measures, he said. Isolated special wards have been set up in three government hospitals in city, minister said, ding 100 beds have been reied in three hospitals and number of beds can be increased furr.

government is also looking at ways to help students from state, who are said to be pursuing medicine in China, in coordination with Centre, he said. According to official sources, two samples have tested negative so far, while results are awaited for three samples. Sources said on Monday three people, who h travelled to China but did t have nCov symptoms, were under medical authorities' observation. three h approached authorities in view of spre of virus in China and were mitted to state-run Institute of Tropical Diseases (Fever hospital) in city. However, two of m have since been discharged after being vised to stay put at home, y h said. sources also said two samples sent earlier h tested negative.