Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday inaugurated a mobile laboratory which will facilitate free RT-PCR tests tests for covid-19 patients in Delhi. The tests will be conducted free of cost for Delhi residents and the results can be collected in six to eight hours.
The Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing mobile laboratory is an initiative of government in collaboration with Spice Health and Indian Council of Medical research which has become more important than ever in Delhi’s fight against the covid-19 pandemic.
The laboratory will be monitored by both the Centre and the Delhi government.
“Dedicated to the people of Delhi, the COVID-19 Mobile RT-PCR Lab jointly developed by @ICMRDELHI and Spice Health. Modi government is committed to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Delhi. This lab will surely help in early detection and cure,” the home minister tweeted.
An official spokesperson said that the cost of the test is Rs 499 and it will be borne by the ICMR.
Meanwhile, the average rate of RT-PCR test, which is one of the most accurate measures to detect covid-19 infection, in other other laboratories was fixed at ₹ 2,400 by a government-appointed committee. The results of these tests are announced in 24-48 hours.
The SpiceHealth has said that it will be setting up 20 laboratories across all parts of country which will lead in carrying significant number of tests in collaboration with the health officials of the Centre and the state governments.
In other management related to covid-19 pandemic in Delhi, the city was recently provided by 400 beds by the Centre amid the deadly surge of the virus.
For the first time in the week, Delhi reported below 5,000 covid-19 cases on Tuesday, however, the death toll continued to soar high with 121 more people succumbing to the virus.
