E-Paper
Covid: Pune ZP to buy 50,000+ rapid antigen kits to avoid shortage
In April, Covid care centres faced rising demand for rapid antigen kits from the district’s Covid-19 hotspots. To bridge the gap, the district hospital had to supply kits from their own stock, says official
To avoid any possible shortage of rapid antigen kits in view of the upcoming festivities, the Pune zilla parishad is set to buy more than 50,000 such kits. A proposal has been drafted for the same and disaster management funds are being used to buy the kits.
Ayush Prasad, chief executive officer of the Pune zilla parishad, said, “Back in April when the second wave was at its peak, we had to face shortage of rapid antigen kits. Although the number of new Covid-19 cases is falling, the zilla parishad will buy over 50,000 rapid antigen kits to avoid any shortage in future. In April, Covid care centres (CCCs) faced rising demand for rapid antigen kits from the district’s Covid-19 hotspots. To bridge the gap, the district hospital had to supply kits from their own stock.”
Justifying the purchase, Prasad said this is a long-term plan so as to not repeat the April 2021 situation at the peak of the second wave. “We need to keep testing more people. We do not want to bring down the testing numbers just because the number of new cases has gone down. This is part of our advanced planning and if we do not buy now, there is likely to be a shortage in the near future.”
