Tamil Nadu had had the highest number of laboratories for Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and it tested the maximum number of 2.43 lakh samples using RT-PCR for COVID-19, the State government told the Madras High Court on Tuesday.
Justices Vineet Kothari and Pushpa Sathyanarayana were told that apart from RT-PCR machines available in government medical college hospitals and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) PCR labs, the government diverted machines available in educational institutions too.
Filing a status report in response to a public interest litigation petition filed by V. Ponraj, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh told the court that 37 government and 16 private laboratories were functioning in the State to test samples and they had been very successful.
After recording her submissions, the judges said: “We are satisfied that the State is aware of the equipment available for carrying out such tests in various institutions within the territory of Tamil Nadu and made arrangements for making available such units for carrying out tests.
“Nothing survives in this public interest writ petition to further issue any direction to the State in this regard. Accordingly, we dispose of this writ petition.”
