Need more testing: Scientists on social media

Scientists and researchers from prominent institutes flooded social media websites on Saturday with videos and posters demanding that more Covid-19 detections be

Scientists and researchers from prominent institutes flooded social media websites on Saturday with videos and posters demanding that more Covid-19 detections be conducted and better protective gears be given to frontline workers.

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This comes three weeks after state chapters of the India March for Science (IMFS) – an informal association of people from the scientific and academic community advocating increase in funding for research and scientific temper – wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In their letter dated April 19, the scientific community made eight demands and suggestions for strengthening India’s battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from asking for better protective gear for frontline workers and an increase in number of tests, scientists have suggested that science graduates be recruited for the job of exhaustive contact-tracing.

On Saturday, IMFS launched a social media initiative to further emphasise their demands and suggestions. Eminent scientists from organisations such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) have posted short videos on social media sites reiterating these demands.

“We have written to the Prime Minister, but there has been no response yet. However, some state governments are paying heed to our suggestions. Through this social media initiative we want to increase our reach and let people know of our demands and suggestions,” said Soumitro Banerjee, a professor from IISER Kolkata.

As part of their suggestions, the scientists have offered their laboratories to state governments for Covid-19 testing. “Institutes, which have BSL2 (biosafety level-2) facilities, can get Covid-19 tests done if they have a real time reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (real time RT-PCR) machine. These machines can detect the virus from the RNA samples extracted from the patient’s swabs,” Banerjee explained.

He said the West Bengal government has written to IISER Kolkata to use the RT-PCR facility for testing. “We are awaiting a nod from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the same,” he added.

The scientists have also demanded an increase in funding for research in medical sciences.