The virology lab at the King George Hospital (KGH) has been closed after some nurses tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. With the closure of the main RT- PCR lab for COVID-19 testing, the pressure will shift to the other RT-PCR centre, also located in KGH.
There are 10 Truenat machines, which have been upgraded recently, at the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases (GHCCD) in the city besides those at a few other hospitals in the district. These machines can conduct rapid tests for COVID-19.
“The main unit at the virology lab can test up to 2,000 samples a day. There is, however, no cause for alarm as we have another testing lab at the Microbiology Department of KGH. This equipment, belonging to NACO, can test up to 500 samples a day,” P.V. Sudhakar, Principal, Andhra Medical College, told The Hindu on Friday.
“The testing equipment at the Microbiology Lab of KGH is being used to test the samples from Vizianagaram district. But now it will also be used for testing of samples from the city also. The main testing lab will be opened after the mandatory sanitisation in a couple of days,” he says.
Speaking about the district’s preparedness to handle the rising cases, Dr. Sudhakar, who is also the district COVID Special Officer, said “We presently have 3,000 beds at 10 hospitals in the district and an additional 2,000 beds are also kept ready at 10 other hospitals for admission of patients, if needed. We have estimated that in the worst case scenario not more than 5,000 beds would be required in the district and we have prepared plans accordingly.”
Meanwhile, the mobile teams of the Government ENT Hospital have stopped going to the containment zones during the last three days for collection of samples.
Teams from the hospital cover the containment zones in Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation(GVMC) area by turns.
Some nurses, who had to interact with the teams, tested positive. Each team consists of an Assistant Professor, a PG student, a lab technician and ANMs. The GVMC and ward secretariat staff prepare the list of persons, who need to be tested in the respective zone, according to a source.
‘Lack of manpower’
The government has not permitted private hospitals and diagnostic labs to undertake testing and the pressure is mounting on the government hospitals.
The inadequacy of manpower to conduct the tests is another reason for delays in getting the results, the source added.
