BHU lab functional again, 206 Covid-19 samples sent

Varanasi: After remaining closed for six days, microbiology lab of Banaras Hindu University restarted tests of Covid-19 samples with its full capacity from Wednesday late evening.
Talking to TOI on Thursday, district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma confirmed, “The microbiology lab of BHU had been made fully functional with a new team of scientists and technicians. Immediately after its reopening, 157 samples collected from symptomatic people in the district had been sent there.So far number of new samples sent to the lab had reached to 206.”
Before the lab was closed, 64 samples were pending for testing, he said adding that among total 206 samples which reached the BHU lab by Thursday afternoon, 64 test reports had been given to the district administration through chief medical officer and all were negative.”
Following the test of a woman lab scientist of this lab, it had been closed on May 1 while all other 13 scientists and technicians had been quarantined. After sterilisation of the lab and training of new batch of scientists and technicians the approval of ICMR was sought by the officials following which the lab started functioning again.
During the period of closure of the lab, the samples collected in the district were send to KGMU Lucknow. The DM said that a total of 303 samples had been sent to KGMU in past four days of which reports of 300 were received while three results are awaited.