Jamshedpur, July 19: In a significant initiative to make RT-PCR tests easily accessible and counter the possible third wave of Covid -19, the health department has rolled out a mobile RT-PCR test lab in the city. The lab on wheels will start to conduct Covid-19 RT-PCR tests from Tuesday. The lab has been parked at District headquarters.
The lab has been designed to conduct tests three times faster than the conventional labs due to parallel processing and automated handling. The lab will provide the report of RT-PCR tests in 8 to 12 hours.
A health official informed that the van is equipped with a clean room. It also has a built-in fogging machine which sterilises the insides of the vehicle. This is important to avoid contamination of samples being tested for Covid-19 in RT-PCR machines. The results of the tests will also be faster, taking an average 8-12 hours from the time of sample collection instead of the usual 24-48 hours taken to receive an RT-PCR report. This initiative is a step in making Covid-19 testing affordable and more accessible to the common person.
Civil surgeon AK Lal said that the testing van will now enable symptomatic primary contacts, senior citizens to undergo a Covid test. The health department has now focussed on conducting door to door rapid tests and spreading awareness. Those who are hesitant to get themselves tested are being educated by the health team. “ We want people to voluntarily come and get themselves tested. This will help us to curb the cases,” said Lal.
He said door-to-door screenings to identify suspected virus patients, ramping up of COVID-19 tests, are being organised at block level adding that social distancing and COVID awareness chariots are moving across the district.
The civil surgeon informed that the work for setting up the RT-PCR lab at the Sadar Hospital has begun “Presently, MGM Medical College has an RT-PCR lab at the government level. During the pressure time of Covid pandemic, a large number of samples would come to the medical college’s lab. Keeping this situation in view, the health department has decided to settle up an RT-PCR lab at the Sadar Hospital, Khasmahal , ” said the civil surgeon.
