The ICMR invited techno-commercial offers from Central PSUs, asking interested parties to submit offers by April 16. (File Photo/Representational)
Under the scanner over delay in procurement of testing kits for COVID-19, the ICMR on Monday issued a tender asking Central PSUs to act as Procurement Agency for essential supplies related to the COVID19 testing. The ICMR invited techno-commercial offers from Central PSUs, asking interested parties to submit offers by April 16.
The crucial decision comes in the backdrop of the delay in implementing the rapid antibody tests in high-density clusters (containment zones).
The ICMR had ordered 5 lakh kits, of which 2.5 lakh were to be delivered this past week, however, the kits are yet to arrive.
ICMR has asked interested PSU to act as procurement agency for essential supplies that include: Viral RNA Extraction, RT-PCR Kits for COVID-19, Antibody IgM and IgG Rapid Test Kit for COVID-19 and the Viral Transport Medium.
5 cases ‘a riddle’, Bihar to start universal sampling in 3 hotspots
Patna: Bihar’s health department, which has identified Begusarai, Siwan and Nawada as hotspots, is not able to trace the source of infection in five cases in Begusarai. The department is not ruling out chances of community spread. The government has now decided to initiate symptomatic universal sampling in all three hotspots from Wednesday after samples of all contacts of the positive cases tested negative. “Universal sampling would mean that we would take symptomatic samples of influenza and any other viral fever. we are now going to take broad samples to know if there is any other trend,” Bihar Principal Secretary (Health) Sanjay Kumar said. —ENS