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Kalyan’s Covid lab to conduct 3,000 tests a day, starting next week
The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) will soon begin operations of its own Covid-19 swab testing lab as work on the facility is in its final stage. The
The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) will soon begin operations of its own Covid-19 swab testing lab as work on the facility is in its final stage. The lab will allow the civic body to conduct 3,000 tests a day and release reports faster.
“We have been planning to open our own testing lab which will allow us to do more testing in a day. We do around 900 tests presently, but once the new lab is open, we will do 3,000 tests, “said a KDMC official.
The civic body recorded 336 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total count to 13,576. The city also recorded nine new deaths, taking the toll to 207.
The lab has been set up at Trimurthi Park in Gauripada, Kalyan (West), with help from Krssna Diagnostic. On Tuesday, Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde visited the site and assured that it would be opened in a week.
“The lab will start functioning in a week after it receives permission from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. The lab will help conduct testing for areas like Kalyan Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Badlapur, and Bhiwandi,” said Shinde.
Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) commissioner Raja Dayanidhi has also decided to adopt the Dharavi pattern in the city to curb the spread of the virus. The civic body revealed that it will soon begin antigen tests in its jurisdiction. The decision was taken during an online meeting on Tuesday.
In the first phase, the civic body will acquire 4,000 rapid antigen kits, 2,000 more in the second phase, and 10,000 in the third phase. Around 550 volunteers will conduct the door-the-door survey in the city.
UMC recorded 193 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total count to 4,618. The city has recorded 71 deaths.
“We will soon start the door-to-door surveys with the help of corporators, and also conduct antigen testing to get reports on time and start treatment faster,” said Dayanidhi.
