Health Ministry to allow accredited pvt labs to conduct tests for coronavirus

To enhance capacity for diagsis and detection of vel coronavirus amid rising cases in country, Union Health Ministry has decided to allowed accredited private labs to conduct tests for COVID-19, officials said on Monday.

At present only government labs are permitted to do test and Centre is making arrangements to nearly double its capacity to test for respiratory ailment.

According to Health Ministry officials, around 60 accredited private laboratories are likely to be given permission to conduct tests soon.

"We are yet to finalise names of labs. modalities for same are being worked out," an official said.

Both are confirmatory tests for COVID-19 are currently being done free-of cost at government set-ups.

Raman R Gangakhedkar, he of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR on Monday that testing capacity is t an issue as as per capacity of 52 labs, India can conduct up to 10,000 tests per day at present.

"Around 600 samples are being tested per day," he said.

He furr said 60,000 testing kits are available w and ditional 200,000 kits have been ordered.

According to current testing protocols, only those with history of travel to high-risk countries affected by respiratory virus and those who came in contact with those having tested positive have been asked to be quarantined for 14 days and those who show symptoms of infection are being tested.

ministry has also started random testing of people, who are suffering from respiratory ailments such as influenza and pneumonia but do t have a history of travel abro, to ascertain if re has been community transmission of coronavirus infection.

Health Ministry officials have asked people t to panic, saying community transmission of virus has been observed and re has only been cases of localised transmission so far.

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According to a senior ICMR official, around 1,040 samples of patients mitted at various hospitals, including private facilities, due to influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory ailments have been collected and majority of m have been tested to check if virus has infected those without a history of travelling abro.

So far, ne of samples has tested positive for COVID-19. final results will declared on Wednesday.

number of vel coronavirus cases in country rose to 126 on Tuesday after fresh cases were reported from several states. Also death of a patient who tested positive for COVID-19 was reported from Maharashtra taking number of casualties to three in country.

cases include 22 foreign nationals. Delhi has so far reported seven positive cases, while Uttar Presh has recorded 13 cases, including one foreigner.

Karnataka has eight coronavirus patients while Maharashtra 39, including 3 foreigners. Lakh has reported four cases while Jammu and Kashmir three. Telangana has reported four cases.

Rajasthan has also reported four cases including that of two foreigners. Tamil Nu, Andhra Presh and Punjab have reported one case each.

Odisha reported its first case on Monday. In Haryana, re are 15 cases, which includes fourteen foreigners, while Uttarakhand has reported one case.

Kerala has recorded 24 cases, including two foreign nationals. number also includes three patients who were discharged last month after y recovered from contagious infection with flu-like symptoms.

According to ministry's data, 13 people have been discharged so far which includes three patients from Kerala. 

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