Increasing panic results in demand for more coronavirus testing capacity in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: An architecture student, having sore throat, on Saturday reported at the Capital Hospital here and requested for tests for COVID-19.

Though she had no fever, authorities agreed for coronavirus test as she had returned from Italy 13 days back. Her tests came negative on Sunday.

While the student had a case owing to her travel history, the hospital authorities are now faced with rising number of people demanding coronavirus tests at the very onset of normal flu symptoms.

Sources said more than 20 persons had sought the tests for the virus at the city hospital on Sunday though only four samples were sent for tests by the authorities.  

With the number of people having normal flu symptoms demanding Covid-19 tests at various hospitals going up steadily, experts have advised the authorities to be very selective and ensure proper screening to ensure only fit cases are subjected to confirmatory tests. 

They have asked hospital authorities to verify travel and contact history of people before deciding to draw samples and sending those for tests due to limited availability of expensive testing kits.

Similar situation is building up across hospitals in the State. Down with fever and common cold, people are beginning to line up for tests at the medical colleges in Cuttack, Berhampur, Burla, Baripada, Balasore, Balangir and Koraput besides the district headquarters hospitals.   

Panic tests corona testing capacity

While the RMRC is now receiving samples from Government health centres, it has directed hospitals to send all samples only through Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) unit.

But the question remains whether the State can meet a possible surge in testing demand?

RMRC Director Dr Sanghamitra Pati said the laboratory has the capacity to test 40 samples a day.

“Though we have sufficient kits, protocol should be maintained while collecting the samples for tests. Strict screening of suspects needs to be done. It is very important that we should not create panic and only fit cases be referred,” she said.    

Since the coronavirus replicates in the respiratory tract causing respiratory illness, the test of swab collected through both mouth and nose can only confirm the presence of the virus.

According to virologists, the test of coronavirus is a bit different. Once samples arrive at the laboratory, technicians use reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to identify the coronavirus.