Pilot testing of throat swab samples for COVID-19 began at the ICMR National Institute of Traditional Medicine (NITM) in Belagavi on Wednesday. The procedure will be formally inaugurated on Thursday. Scientists at the institute have successfully conducted reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of 11 samples. The procedure will be inaugurated on Thursday, zilla panchayat chief executive officer K.V. Rajendra told The Hindu. He said this would enable immediate testing of suspected cases and the results would come within a few hours.