Amidst doubts over the efficacy of the COVID-19 rapid test kits procured from China, the officials have told Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy that the kits procured from South Korea and used in the State proved to be satisfactory.
Mr. Reddy was reviewing the COVID-19 status in the State at a meeting with the officials on Wednesday.
The officials informed Mr. Reddy that as the sample tests conducted using the Chinese kits were not satisfactory, kits were procured from South Korea.
Meanwhile, Mr. Reddy directed the officials to ensure adequate number of oxygen cylinders in the COVID-19 hospitals.
‘Increase ICU beds’
He further directed them to provide medicines to the patients (other than COVID-19) identified through the telemedicine programme. He asked the officials to conduct tests on all the 7,578 persons at the quarantine centres and increase the number of ICU beds at the hospitals in Anantapur, Prakasam and Nellore districts.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that lockdown relaxation should be applicable to only ‘green’ clusters and rules should be followed strictly in the ‘red’ and ‘orange’ zones.
Ministers Botcha Satyanarayana and K. Kanna Babu, Chief Secretary Neelam Sawhney, Medical and Health Special Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy, and DGP D. Gautam Sawang were present.
