Seven new labs sanctioned in medical colleges by AP to scale up Covid-19 testing
2 min read . Updated: 25 Mar 2020, 12:37 AM ISTYunus Y. Lasania- An amount of ₹5 lakh will be released to the medical college labs for purchasing of lab consumables and other safety utilities
- In AP, eight people have so far tested positive for COVID so far
Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday sanctioned funds to set up Venereal Disease Research Laboratories (VRDL) test in seven medical colleges across the state to increase its coronavirus (COVID) testing capacity to 1000 samples per day. The sanction came through a government order, which was passed, allowing managements of the seven institutions to engage the required man power for the same.
An amount of ₹5 lakh will be released to the medical college labs for purchasing of lab consumables and other safety utilities. The managements are also to ensure that the labs work on a 24/7 basis with appropriate shifts, said the government order. On the same day, a group of cabinet ministers in Andhra Pradesh began its visit coronavirus (COVID) hit districts across the state.
The group, comprising health minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas and ministers Mutthamsetti Srinivas, and Kurasala Kannababu visited Visakhapatnam on Tuesday and held a review meeting with the district officials to take stock of the situation. The health minister instructed the officials to implement the lockdown strictly and appealed to the public to remain indoors as a precautionary measure.
“In Visakhapatnam, the spread of the virus is in second stage and it has to be controlled. So far, three positive cases have been registered in Visakhapatnam and the district officials have identified Seethammadhara, Gajuwaka, and Anakapalle as high-risk zones, as these places have more numbers of foreign returnees," he said, in a press release on Tuesday.
Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas also said that strict action will be taken against those who defy rules and come on roads without valid reason in view of the lock down imposed in AP since 22 March. In the view of the COVID pandemic, hundreds of beds have been made available for treating the cases in isolation at VIMS Visakhapatnam and also the district hospitals. In all these hospitals ventilator facilities are equipped and 200 more ventilators will be arranged in intensive care units, added the release.
In AP, eight people have so far tested positive for COVID so far. In order to screen the population, so far, through a house to house survey by village volunteers, the state government has been able to track 14,038 foreign returnees, of which 1364 belong to Visakhapatnam district alone, stated the release.
Minister for Agriculture Kurasala Kannababu on Tuesday also said that there is no need for people to panic as all the essential commodities like rice, vegetables, dairy products will be available for the public. For safety reasons, all the rythu bazars (state-run vegetable markets) have been shifted to open grounds and stadiums, he added.
After the lock down in AP was announced, chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had announced that all the below poverty line families will receive free ration for a month and Rs.1000 per family. Pharma industries and other important institutions in the state will also minimize work power and take safety precautions in the workspace.
No comments:
Post a Comment