More tests from Thursday as mobile lab parks at Bhat

NAGPUR: With SpiceHealth parking its truck-trailer laboratory in the city, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is all set to increase the number of swab collection centres for RT-PCR tests and facilitate quick results from Thursday. In another development, Covid-19 positive cases on Monday declined to below 6,000 after 10 days.
Municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B told TOI that the mobile lab will begin with 500 tests per day and go up to 2,000 in phases. “The NMC will increase one counter for swab collection at the six RT-PCR testing centres and also start six new centres from Thursday. Another six will start later,” he said.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari had facilitated bringing the SpiceHealth lab from New Delhi. It will be stationed at the Suresh Bhat auditorium for now as it requires power supply. Gadkari had announced that testing will cost Rs 350 and results will be given within four hours.
The state government has entered into an MoU with SpiceHealth and will pay the testing cost. It will be free for everyone.
NMC sources told TOI that officials of SpiceHealth have “orally committed to provide results within six hours”. “On paper, they have mentioned that it would be within 24 hours. The exact time frame will be known when they start testing,” said the sources.
The government-run laboratories used to provide results within 8-24 hours and privates ones within 4-12 hours before the second wave. The timings are now 24-48 hours since April.
SpiceHealth will not provide results directly to people. The existing system of the NMC where patients collect their report from the collection centres will continue.
The district on Monday registered 5,852 cases which were 1,919 cases less compared with 7,771 recorded a day ago. Cases declined below 6,000 after 10 days. This was probably because only 18,997 samples were tested on Monday as against the average of 24,000 per day.
NMC officials said the number of tests seemed less on Monday due to the weekend. “We will have to observe tests and cases for one week or more to check for decline in positivity rate,” they said.
The district has registered 1,53,942 cases in 26 days of April, which is two times of what was recorded in March and three times of September last year — peak of the first wave.
The NMC on Monday proposed to set up a Covid Care Centre (CCC) or Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DCHC) with oxygen beds in Agrasen Bhavan at Ravi Nagar and Gandhibagh. The move is to also provide beds for patients coming to the city from other districts of Vidarbha.
A fortnight ago, the NMC had proposed to start Covid hospitals at KT Nagar and Pachpaoli women’s hospital but are yet to complete the works. Also awaited is operating of CCCs with oxygen beds at Gittikhadan Hall and Symbiosis Recreation Centre that were proposed a week ago.
The plan to start Covid hospitals at Ayurvedic College, ESIC hospital, Mulak Ayurvedic College, Haj House etc around two weeks ago is yet to be processed.