Agra: Delay in test results hampering fight against Covid-19

AGRA: Lack of proper management and lapses in monitoring by senior officials in SN Medical College and National Jalma Institute For Leprosy is causing a delay in declaring the results of Covid-19 tests in Agra, the worst hit by novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
In Agra, only two medical institutes—SN Medical College and Jalma institute —conduct Covid-19 tests. Both have a combined testing capacity of 300 samples. But since last week, less than 200 samples are being tested every day, say sources in the health department.
The health department officials said both the institute have been passing on the samples to each other without conducting test.
Citing an example, health officials said “A batch of 30 samples were collected from a suspected Covid-19 patient lodged in a quarantine centre and sent to SN Medical College. But on the next day, the samples were transferred to the Jalma institute. It was only after the intervention of the health department officials, the testing of the samples was started on May 17.”
Responding to the situation, chief medical officer RS Pandey said, “We are improving the sample collection and lab testing for detection of Covid-19 positive patients in a time-bound manner. Efforts are being made to ensure that the reports of testing are declared as soon as possible”.