The Telangana government should immediately allow private laboratories to test COVID-19 samples to effectively contain the spread of the disease in the state, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said on Monday.
Talking to PTI over phone, she said it is time the government "which is doing a commendable job to contain the virus" adds up resources for testing along with state institutions.
Soundararajan, who herself is a doctor, asserted that there is no community spread in the southern state.
"Three private labs along with six government testing centres have been approved by ICMR, but the state government has some reservation on allowing testing in private labs. I have already written a letter in this regard to the government and also plan to hold a meeting with the chief secretary," she said.
The governor said Telangana too should opt for rapid testing kits, which when used, can be more useful as the "test result can be known in 15 minutes".
She also suggested the ruling TRS government to allow "plasma treatment" to fight coronavirus. Under this treatment, plasma from cured COVID-19 patients is used to treat the affected people, she said.
Soundararajan also highlighted the need to procure more testing kits
"The ICMR-approved Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, which is producing 1,500 COVID-19 testing kits per day, says it has the capacity to produce up to 10,000 kits per day. Procuring more such kits will be helpful in widespread testing of suspected cases," she said.
The governor said 38 people have been affected with dengue in Wanaparthy in the state.
"As Telangana is fighting coronavirus, reports of 38 persons affected with dengue in Wanaparthy town came to my knowledge. I immediately directed the officials to take measures to ensure that the vector borne disease does not spread," she added.
The virus has so far claimed 17 lives in the state. Of the total 592 cases in the state, 103 have been cured, while 472 are undergoing treatment.
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