Walk-in sample collection kiosk set up at Tirupur GH

Nivedha Selvam | Apr 9, 2020, 04:09 IST

Coimbatore: In a first, the Tirupur administration has set up a walk-in sample collection kiosk (Covid WISK) to screen and collect samples at the Tirupur government hospital on Wednesday.
An official explained that the Covid kiosk has a two-step sample collection process -- one at the hospital entrance and the other near the isolation ward.
The booth near the hospital entrance will function mainly as a screening centre, and will check patients for symptoms, apart from collecting their travel history and providing counselling if required.
“Only those patients who are suspected to have symptoms of Covid-19 by a medical team at the screening centre would be taken for sample collection at the other booth,” said district collector K Vijayakarthikeyan.
The two-step process sample collection process is totally contactless, he said. The district administration is planning to set up similar booths at all containment areas in the district so that samples can be collected from individuals in their locality itself. The district is also expected to get rapid testing kits within a couple of days, Vijayakarthikeyan said.
The sample collection booth has been set up by the city corporation at a cost of Rs 1 lakh, while the screening booth has been set up with the help of Indian Medical Association.
“The kiosk would prevent medical personnel from coming into direct contact with patients while collecting throat or nasal swabs. Healthcare staff inside the kiosk will collect the samples from individuals using gloves attached to the kiosks. Both the gloves would be disinfected after each test,” an official from the hospital said.
As many as 32 samples were collected at the Covid kiosk on Wednesday.