Thanks to the district administration’s measures to check the spread of COVID-19, the district headquarters hospital is coming up with a virology laboratory with equipment such as TrueNat and CBNAAT machines and others to conduct tests in the town.
Earlier, the authorities after collecting samples used to send them to Hyderabad for analysis and wait for reports. Now tests would be conducted at the Civil Hospital here. The TrueNat machine provides results in two hours with accuracy and helps the doctors to take up faster diagnosis and the patients can get access to treatment much earlier.
Similarly, the virology laboratory would be also equipped with CBNAAT (cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test) machine. Actually, the primary tests are conducted on TrueNat machine. If it is negative, another test is conducted on CBNAAT machine. If the second test states it as positive, then it would be treated as COVID-19 positive.
The virology laboratory, which was developed at a cost of ₹70 lakh, would be inaugurated very soon and made available for the benefit of people.
The district authorities have provided special training to 10 medical fraternities including doctors, lab technicians and nurses for conducting tests on the new machines. The laboratory was developed to conduct at least 100 tests every day.
The district authorities have set up separate COVID-19 isolation ward with 100 beds and 10 ventilators in the district headquarters, which would be used only for the patients of bifurcated Karimnagar district. Other districts have also opened isolation wards in Sircilla, Sultanabad, Godavarikhani, Peddapalli, Metpally and Jagtial hospitals.
From other districts
Only the samples from other districts would be bought to Karimnagar virology laboratory for tests.
After the conduct of tests, the suspected patients would be kept at home quarantine if the case is not serious, for 17 days.
If the virus is not cured, the positive patient would be referred to the government isolation ward in Karimnagar town, later to MGM Warangal and finally to Gandhi Hospital for treatment.
