Backlog of samples increases, but officials say they are sufficiently equipped to test

Despite an uptick in testing capacity, the district’s daily epidemic bulletin has been showing an increase in the backlog of samples that are yet to be tested via

Despite an uptick in testing capacity, the district’s daily epidemic bulletin has been showing an increase in the backlog of samples that are yet to be tested via the RT PCR method.

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Authorities said this was due to the slightly delayed reporting of results from the lab, due to which there is a day’s lag in reporting. While health department data shows that the backlog of samples has increased by more than five times in the past three weeks, officials clarified that this was not really the case.

As of July 19, the results for at least 1,103 samples were awaited (from government facilities), up from 220 samples on July 1, as per the district health department’s daily epidemic bulletin.

Officials, however, said that the delay was not cause of a dearth of testing facilities in Gurugram.

“We are testing up to 800 samples per day via RT-PCR, which is more than what even private labs are testing. The private labs are testing around 300 to 400 samples per day. In early June, a backlog was building up because we weren’t able to test enough.Around 400 tests were being done daily then with a backlog of 700 cases. On the contrary, we are now collecting more samples after increasing our testing capacity, so naturally the bulletin is showing a larger number,” said Dr Jai Prakash Sharma, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme’s district surveillance officer (DSO) in Gurugram.

Unlike earlier, when results sometimes took as long as 48 hours to arrive, samples from government labs in Gurugram are now being tested within 24 hours, Sharma added.

“This isn’t reflected in the bulletin because we receive the results at night, after the bulletin is issued. Results for most of Sunday’s 1108 pending samples will be updated in Monday’s bulletin,” he said, while results for about 1,300 samples collected on Sunday will appear in Tuesday’s bulletin.

While health department officials said that shortfalls in testing do happen on some days, it isn’t a worrying trend. A doctor with the IDSP in Gurugram, said, “Earlier, the backlog was growing incrementally each day and the infrastructure we had was stretched quite thin. Now, even if there is a shortfall on one day, it is made up for the next day.”

A total of 79576 samples from the district have been tested for Covid-19 so far, via both RT PCR and antigen methods. With the opening of a testing lab in Gurugram last month, and a second RT PCR machine being installed at Civil Hospital (inaugurated by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar last week), officials said that they are sufficiently equipped for the time being.

The SGT Medical College Hospital and Research Institute in Chandu Budhera, located on the outskirts of Gurugram, will also soon initiate reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests on its campus. The college was awaiting approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which was granted earlier this month. At the time, Dr Mukesh Sharma, microbiologist at SGT College, had said that they would be able to test up to 300-400 samples every day.