Wayanad district will get its own laboratory for conducting COVID-19 testing by the end of this week.
The hi-tech laboratory is coming up at the Regional Virology Laboratory, a venture of the State Health Department, on the premises of the taluk hospital at Sulthan Bathery.
“Throat and nasal swabs from suspected cases in Wayanad used to be tested at the Government Medical College, Kozhikode, but now, it can be done in the lab once the installation works are completed”, R. Renuka, District Medical Officer, said.
A Reverse Rranscription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) machine has been procured at a cost of ₹15 lakh and the installation works would begin on Tuesday, Dr. Renuka said. A bio-safety cabin and a deep freezer would be set up as a part of it, she said.
“The lab is being equipped to test 96 throat and nasal swabs in a single shift and we are planning to operate three shifts a day”, Dr. Renuka said.
The tests such as antigen, RTPCR, and True Nat tests would be available at the lab to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. Five trained staff members, including a doctor and four laboratory technicians, had been appointed for the purpose.
More FLTCs
Meanwhile, the district administration has set up eight COVID-19 first-line treatment centres (FLTCs) with 1,500 beds at different parts of the district.
