With the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) having revised its testing strategy by offering testing to all hospitalised patients with severe acute respiratory illness (fever and cough and/or shortness of breath), there is going to be an influx of samples to be tested for COVID-19. A major concern, however, is the limited number of COVID-19 testing laboratories in the State.
Late on Saturday night the ICMR issued guidelines for testing in private labs. However, it is yet to identify labs in Karnataka.
With private laboratories yet to be named, the question is whether the existing facilities are equipped to handle the likely increased load.
In Bengaluru, only two labs are currently conducting the tests. Apart from these, one Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory each in Hassan, Mysuru, and Shivamogga are also involved. Each of these facilities, however, are as of now testing not more than 25 samples a day.
- National Institute of Virology, Field Unit Bengaluru
- VRDL at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Mysuru Medical College and Research Institute, Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences
“With the revision in testing strategy, the number of samples are definitely going to increase. We are not sure how we will be able to meet the increased demand. We have raised this concern with the ICMR,” said sources in the VRDL lab at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute.
Ashok M., officer in charge of the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Bengaluru Field Unit, said the lab had been testing 20 to 25 samples every day since February 2. “We can load 20 samples simultaneously on the PCR machine and the results take six hours. Moreover, if the result is positive, a confirmatory test is also done. Although our kits are depleting, we can indent as and when required,” he said.
NIMHANS, which was in the forefront of testing influenza A(H1N1) during the outbreak in 2009, has expressed its willingness to test if kits are provided. Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar had also announced that NIMHANS would soon start tests. Although NIMHANS is equipped and capable to test COVID-19 samples, the ICMR is yet to grant its approval.
“We are part of the network of influenza labs that come under the National Centre for Disease Control. Although a BSL II-level lab is enough to conduct COVID-19 tests, NIMHANS has a BSL III-level lab,” said V. Ravi, senior professor and head of Neurovirology in NIMHANS.
Although the State government has been repeatedly announcing that private labs will be roped in, the ICMR is yet to approve any private facility in the State, dispite announcing guidelines.
The labs at Narayana Nethralaya — which was the first private lab approved for testing A(H1N1) samples in the State during the 2009 outbreak — and Manipal Hospitals apart from Manipal Institute of Virology are equipped to take up the tests. “We are ready, but the ICMR has to take a call on that,” said K. Bhujang Shetty, chairman of Narayana Nethralaya.
Sudarshan Ballal, chairman of Manipal Hospitals, who asserted that the revised testing guidelines would help in further containment of the infection, said, “I am sure the ICMR will soon take a call on roping in private labs.”
90 samples a day
However, Rajni Kant, director, Regional Medical Research Centre and head of Research Management, Policy, Planning and Coordination at the ICMR, told The Hindu that the existing labs were capable of handling an influx of samples following the revised testing strategy.
“Each of the testing labs are equipped to test 90 samples a day. There is no dearth of kits and reagents as they are centrally supplied by the government to all the labs,” he said. Refusing to comment on the delay in roping in private labs, Dr. Rajni Kant said the ICMR was in a dialogue with private labs in this regard.
