E-Paper
Laboratories conducting Covid RT-PCR tests to come under radar
Amid festivities, the state has instructed districts, including Pune to ensure that the laboratories conducting RT-PCR Covid-19 tests are surveyed and submit a daily report
In the wake of the festivities lined up in the coming days, the state has instructed districts, including Pune to ensure that the laboratories conducting RT-PCR Covid-19 tests are surveyed and submit a daily report on the number of tests conducted, positive and negative results and also ensure that proper address is mentioned along with the report so that contact tracing can be effectively implemented.
The state has also said that in rural areas where RT-PCR tests are not possible then rapid antigen tests must be conducted or even mobile laboratories should be set up.
Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant health officer, PMC, said, “During the last Covid-19 peak we had informed and even sent notices and banned a few laboratories from conducting RT-PCR tests after we found their repeated negligence which was causing inconvenience to the administration. The system is still in place and a warning will be issued and action will be taken against labs which violate the norms set by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).”
As per state officials, the lab results must be scrutinised to ensure ward-wise or taluka-wise results are updated every day so that specific localities where few tests are being conducted could be checked.
Also, laboratories must enter all results on the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR ) portal daily and through the weekly report if any lab is found to be irregular in updating their data then they must be advised to update the reports regularly.
The letter issued by chief secretary Dr Pradip Vyas, dated September 14 to all district health officials, also mentions that the number of tests conducted in the state has gone down.
“Within July 10-17 he state saw a weekly average of 2.09 lakh RT-PCR tests which in September has gone down to 1.67 lakh. There has been a 20% fall in the weekly RT-PCR tests conducted in the state. Given the upcoming festivities, we should be on alert even more so. Private hospitals, ILI, SARI labs must be involved in contact tracing to break the chain of infection,” the letter stated.
