ICMR asks medical colleges to establish testing facilities amid surge in COVID-19 cases

Amid Coronavirus crisis,  Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday invited applications from all government and private medical colleges for establishing Coronavirus testing facilities. According to reports, applications are invited to strengn COVID-19 testing capacity of country. 

Key requirements for applicants

According to ICMR,  private medical colleges are required to submit a copy of NABL accreditation certificate and scope of accreditation for real-time PCR for RNA viruses. Along with it, colleges should have availability of a BSL-2 level laboratory facility along with molecular biology setup for virological diagsis and functioning and calibrated Biosafety cabinet type 2A/2B in laboratory. Reportedly, it is necessary to have a functioning and calibrated real-time PCR machine. 

Furr, according to reports,  medical microbiologists and technicians should have experience of work in virology and handling clinical specimens, especially respiratory samples. y should also be trained for handling respiratory samples for viral diagsis, RNA extraction, and real-time PCR.

Read: Telangana government orders demarcation of graveyards for COVID-19 deceased 

Coronavirus crisis

According to latest update of Health Ministry, about 5,274 cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in country including 4,714 active cases. While 149 deaths have been reported overall, around 411 people have been cured. Currently, highest number of cases have been reported from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In a bid to tackle growing crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 had anunced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to check spread of Coronavirus, stating that "social distancing" is only way to contain disease which is spreading rapidly across world. 

Read: Kerala CM slams media report about Irani feeding Amethi labourers stuck in Wayanad

Meanwhile, PM Modi has also established a dedicated national fund called  ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) with primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation — like posed by COVID-19 pandemic — and to provide relief to affected. 

Read: 'Decision on lockdown after discussion with PM Modi on April 11': Goa CM Sawant

Read: COVID-19: Uttarakhand Ministers and MLAs decide to take 30% pay cut to combat virus crisis

(With ANI Inputs)