Maharashtra to have 8 new testing labs- Health Minister Tope

Pune, Mar 19: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the state will have eight new coronavirus testing laboratories. Three labs will become functional from March 19 at Mumbai KEM and Kasturba Hospital and one in Pune B J Medical College. Two more labs will be started at Haffkine Institute in the coming four days, he added.

Besides, coronavirus testing labs will be made operational at Dhule, Aurangabad, and Solapur, the Health Minister said adding that testing instruments will be supplied by the NIV for these new labs. The Centre will be supplying 10 lakh testing kits to the state, he added.

Tope had visited Pune to review the situation here against the background of the coronavirus outbreak on March 18. He visited the National Institute of Virology (NIV) before addressing a press conference at the Collector’s office.

MLA Sunil Tingare, Divisional Commissioner Dr. Dipak Mhaisekar, District Collector Naval Kishor Ram, PMC Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad, PCMC Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, PMC Additional Commissioner Rubal Agrawal, Director Public Health Dr. Archana Patil, former Director-General of Health department Dr. Subhasah Salunke were present on this occasion.

Health Minister Tope said that 700 ventilators and 600isolation beds are ready in the state. Isolation beds are made mandatory for the private hospitals and provision for 100 beds in Naidu Hospital in Pune and 60 isolated beds in YCM hospital have been made. Treatment on 8 coronavirus positive patients is going on in Naidu Hospital. Those tested positive for the virus need to be given psychological support and all the facilities will be made available to them where they are quarantined.

He informed that during his visit to NIV he discussed with the scientists there about the coronavirus. The NIV lab is connected to 50-60 labs in the country. There is a protocol for testing the patients. “I interacted with the researchers there and conveyed gratitude on behalf of the state for the work they have been doing. All these researchers are working round-the-clock,” he said.

At present there are four labs operational in the state and three more labs will go operational from tomorrow. Another five labs will be started in the coming four days, thus taking the total number of testing labs to eight, Tope said adding that private labs will also be given permission for coronavirus testing.

Talking about the coronavirus positive cases in the state, he said that of the total 42 infected persons, 33 were "imported" ones (who had returned to India from abroad), while nine others were cases of "local transmission" (local persons who came in contact with the foreign returnees).

He appealed to the people to desist from spreading any kind of rumors through social media. No information should be spread unless its veracity is ascertained. Cyber Cell of the police department will take necessary action against those spreading rumors or false information, Tope warned.

He said that those negative patients who were discharged with a ‘Home Quarantine’ stamp on their hands should remain in isolation for 14 days. Such people should take care of their own and others' health, the Minister said.