Yadgir yet to get lab to test for novel coronavirus

HUBBALLI: All six districts, except Yadgir, in the Kalyana Karnataka region, are now equipped with RT-PCR labs to test for the novel coronavirus.
Kalaburagi, Koppal, Ballari, Bidar and Raichur districts have now got the lab, but Yadgir is yet to get one. There has been a big spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in almost all the districts in the Kalyana-Karnataka region, with every passing day. The spike happened after migrant workers from other states came back to their homes in the Kalyana Karnataka region.This region has now crossed the grim 1,000 mark quickly, in the last few days. Kalaburagi reported 552 Covid-19 cases, Yadgir-373, Raichur-356, Bidar-214, Ballari-54 and Koppal-4 cases till today. In this backdrop, the new labs will help to conduct more tests, and results can be obtained in a day.
A lab to test for Covid-19 was first set up in Kalaburagi and then in Ballari, two months back. In the last one week, full-fledged laboratories to test for the novel coronavirus have come up in Raichur, Bidar and Koppal, which has come as a big relief for the people and officials, as it expedites the testing of samples, and results can be obtained within 24 hours. Testing began in Koppal on Wednesday. Each lab has a capacity to conduct more than 200 tests a day.
All these districts used to send throat swab samples to the National Institute of Virology, Bengaluru, earlier for testing, and had to wait for at least 3 days to get the results.
An RT-PCR lab is yet to be set up in Yadgir district, which is reporting many Covid-19 cases every day.
Koppal deputy commissioner P Sunil Kumar said that a lab to test for the novel coronavirus has been set up at the medical college there, which began testing on Wednesday. The lab has the capacity to conduct 140 tests a day, in two shifts. “Now we can get the results within 24 hours, without waiting for results from the lab in Bengaluru. We are doing tests as per protocol, and subjecting people who have symptoms of influenza to the tests,” he said.
Dr M S Patil, DHO, Yadgir, said that as there is no medical college in the district, the process of setting up a lab to test for the novel coronavirus is getting delayed. Besides, there is also a dearth of experts like microbiologists to carry out the tests in the district, he said. “Now, we have decided to rope in a microbiologist from Koppal. Efforts are on to set up a lab at the new government hospital here, which is converted into a dedicated Covid hospital. In the next 4-5 days, we will have a full-fledged lab in Yadgir. Now, we are sending 1,500-1,600 samples daily to Bengaluru, and get the results after 2-3 days,” he added.