The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has received approval from the State government to test COVID-19 samples at three more laboratories.
Till now, it was getting samples tested at Haffkine Institute and the National Institute of Virology. With the number of cases on the rise, test reports were getting delayed. The NMMC can now get samples tested at JJ Hospital, INHS Asvini and Tata Memorial Centre’s Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer.
“With only two labs, it was taking four to five days to get reports. On an average, we would get only 200 reports from both the labs every day, and the rest would be pending. With five labs in action, we expect reports will be available in 30 hours,” said Municipal Commissioner Annasaheb Misal, who had requested additional labs.
Meanwhile, Metropolis, a private lab that otherwise charges ₹4,500 for a test, will offer 15,000 free tests to the NMMC with support from Citibank and Cipla Foundation as a CSR activity, Mr Misal said.
