Maharashtra to deploy 5600 medical students in fight against COVID; ramp up antigen tests

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Thursday government will be deploying 5,600 medical students in state's fight against Coronavirus outbreak that has infected 1,42,900 people so far and claimed 6,739 lives in state.

"To counter short of doctors in state, Maharashtra Government will w be deploying 5600 medical students in COVID war across state. se will be medical students pursuing masters and graduation in medicine," Tope told reporters.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray had earlier wrote to PM Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to direct Medical Council of India to postpone medical final year postgraduate exams till December 2020. Mentioning that final year MD/MS exam is conducted in month of May or June by Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, he stated that it had been postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic.

Thackeray revealed that final year resident doctors required to take se exams are presently working on frontline in all municipal and government hospitals assisting clinical manment of COVID-19 patients. 

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Antigen testing to be ramped up

He also said that government would conduct antigen tests, which would provide results of COVID-19 tests within an hour, and to do that one lakhs testing kits have been ordered. Tope said priority would be given to conducting this test on frontline COVID-19 workers, such as essential services staff, health workers, police, and ors.

Maharashtra government has decided to undertake ICMR-approved rapid antibody tests, whose kits were being supplied by a South Korean company. A time-consuming exercise, traditional test based on RT-PCR techlogy takes up to 24 hours to give results.

Minister said antigen test will help in early detection of Coronavirus cases. " tests will cost ₹450 each and it would be used for front-line personnel. But its use is t restricted and anyone can undergo test. We will procure one lakh such kits," he said.

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Rajesh Tope furr said that 80% of current active COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic and asserted that amid rising cases, government and people have to remain cautious. He said that best medication is being given to patients and testing has been ramped up.

"We are taking all precautionary measures to decrease death rate which is w 4.5%. We have deployed task force, providing best medication and door to door testing is happening. Everyday we do 20,000 tests in state. Till w more than 8 lakh samples have been tested in Maharashtra," Tope said.

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