Covid lab at Udupi dist hosp ready for sample testing

Udupi: The district hospital here is all set to operationalise its own Covid-19 lab. With the report on the results submitted by the lab to the ‘test’ samples that Nimhans sent it being awaited, the lab is expected to start full-fledged testing of samples on its own steam from either Thursday or Friday.
The government lab will vastly reduce the dependence of district authorities on private medical college labs or those in adjoining districts for test results.
The laboratory was formally inaugurated on Wednesday. Deputy commissioner G Jagadeesha told TOI that it will start functioning within the next 48 hours. At present, samples from Udupi are being tested at KMC Hospital, Manipal, Yenepoya Medical College and Hospital, Deralakatte and Fr Muller Medical College and Hospital, Mangaluru, he said.
Will help meet testing target: DC
“We have a target of testing around 600 samples each day and with the lab at KMC hospital and the new laboratory, we will meet our needs,” Jagadeesha said. The laboratories put together will clear the backlog of 2,627 samples before the weekend, he added.
The new laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment worth Rs 1 crore and Rs 45 lakh has been spent on the physical infrastructure, Jagadeesha said, adding a microbiologist and eight lab technicians have been appointed.
District surgeon Dr Madhusoodana Nayak said the microbiologist and lab technicians have been trained at NIMHANS. “We have tested five samples that Nimhans sent us and sent our report. If our report tallies with that of Nimhans, we will get the go ahead to test samples locally,” he said. The fully air-conditioned lab can test 96 samples in one testing cycle and reports can be expected in four to six hours at the most, he said.
The lab can test 300 samples per day, he said adding the entire process from the time samples are received to the time the reports are uploaded as per ICMR guidelines, is done online. The cost for testing of each sample including test kit and other personal safety equipment is around Rs 1,600, Dr Nayak said. DC Jagadeesha has sanctioned funds for this project under the district disaster relief fund available at his disposal, he added.