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This is an archive article published on June 9, 2020
Delhi: Pvt labs get go-ahead for Covid testing again
The development comes on a day Delhi conducted 3,700 tests in a day, the lowest in the last three weeks. The cumulative number of tests done so far is 2,55,615.
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There are 42 ICMR approved laboratories in the city that can conduct RT-PCR test for Covid-19. Till Sunday, 36 of them were operational. (Representational)
Days after services in some private labs were halted by the Delhi government for flouting ICMR’s testing guidelines, they have been told to resume services. Six private labs in the city were issued show cause notices by the Delhi government for testing asymptomatic patients against ICMR protocol.
The development comes on a day Delhi conducted 3,700 tests in a day, the lowest in the last three weeks. The cumulative number of tests done so far is 2,55,615. There are 42 ICMR approved laboratories in the city that can conduct RT-PCR test for Covid-19. Till Sunday, 36 of them were operational.
“The labs were asked to submit a reply and after considering their requests, it has been decided to allow them to restart their services. It will be mandatory for them to follow ICMR guidelines,” said a senior health department official.
The city reported 1,007 fresh cases on Monday while 62 more deaths have been updated. The total number of cases is at 29,943 and the death toll touched 874.
Officials from City X-ray and Scan Clinic, Prognosis Labs, SRL reference lab and Dr Lal PathLabs confirmed to The Indian Express that they have received a go-ahead from the government for testing. However, the government has not allowed the lab at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to reopen.
Delhi is currently performing 12,658 tests per million population. On Monday, L-G Anil Baijal overturned the government decision on testing only those showing Covid symptoms and said asymptomatic cases and high-risk contacts will also be tested.
With the change in guidelines, many asymptomatic patients in Delhi were not being tested.
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“There are a fair percentage of asymptomatic patients in the population. As Delhi restricted testing criteria, we were not able to even test asymptomatic healthcare workers who were getting exposed to patients,” said a senior doctor at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
Another senior doctor from a Delhi government hospital, requesting anonymity, said: “As per the new rules, we were not even able to test asymptomatic patients exposed to a confirmed case.”
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