The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has set up COVID-19 testing facilities at 22 different locations in the city. MCC Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde has called upon people with symptoms of the virus to mandatorily undergo the tests, which will be offered for free.
Soon after the number of positive cases in Mysuru district crossed 1,500 to reach 1,514 on Saturday, the MCC Commissioner announced the ramping up of the testing facility in the city, which accounts for a majority of the cases in the district.
The MCC, along with the District Health and Family Welfare Department, has taken steps to subject a lot more people to COVID-19 tests in view of the rising number of cases and mortality in the city, said Mr. Hegde. Both Rapid Antigen Tests as well as RT-PCR will be will conducted at these testing facilities, said a MCC statement.
Persons with cold, cough, fever, breathing difficulty, loose motions, besides loss of taste and smell, should undergo tests. Also, all persons who are primary and secondary contacts of COVID-19 patients should approach these testing facilities. Mr. Hegde said efforts were also underway to establish a 24/7 testing facility at K.R. Hospital in the city from October 5 for the benefit of the public.
Also, the Health and Family Welfare Department had set up mobile squads, which will be carrying out COVID-19 tests in industrial areas and slums free of cost.
Cases rise
Meanwhile, with 1,514 people testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, Mysuru district’s cumulative positive cases stands at 36,291. With 18 people succumbing to COVID-19 on Saturday, the total number of persons dying in Mysuru district rose to 798.
However, the number of persons discharged on Saturday was 859. Out of the total 7,098 active cases as on Saturday, 5,179 had been isolated in their respective homes while the remaining in COVID-19 Care Centres.
So far, 1,86,692 samples had been tested for COVID-19 in Mysuru district out of which 1,62,825 samples had been tested in government facilities while the remaining 23,867 had been tested in private testing facilities.
