Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the COVID-19 rapid testing kits manufactured at the Visakhapatnam-based A.P. Medtech Zone Limited, at his camp office at Tadepalli, near here on Wednesday. Industries Minister Mekapati Gautham Reddy and several officials were present.
Later, addressing the media, Mr. Goutham Reddy said Andhra Pradesh took the lead in the fight against COVID-19 by getting the kits manufactured at the Medtech Zone.
These kits would not only be used in Andhra Pradesh but also despatched to others States, he said. The kits would be extremely helpful in obtaining a clear picture of the extent to which the virus had spread, the Minister added.
PCR test result in a jiffy
The result of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test usually takes two to three days to be known, whereas the kits made at the Medtech Zone give the outcome in less than an hour, the Minister added.
“At present, 2,000 kits can be manufactured per day, and it is planned to scale it up to seven lakh by the end of May,” the Minister said, and added that 60% of the equipment required for screening would be ready soon.
Similarly, manufacture of ventilators would also commence at the Medtech Zone on April 15, the Minister announced. The government targeted to manufacture about 3,000 ventilators by April-end.
P-95 mask
Mr. Goutham Reddy said the government entrusted the task of manufacturing P-95 masks, which were superior to the N-95 variety, to four companies and the process of churning out more Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) was under way.
