PATNA: In a bid to expedite the testing coronavirus samples in Bihar, the Indian Council of Medical Research's Department of Health Research on Tuesday is considering the request of the state health department to approve the sixth RT-PCR testing centre at AIIMS-Patna.
At present, Bihar has total five operational (initiated independent testing) centres at Patna, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur. According to state health secretary Sanjay Kumar, the sixth new testing centre may begin testing from April 16 as it takes a day to calibrate and and get approval from National Institute of Virology-Pune.
As in April 14, total 7727 samples were tested at RMRI, IGIMS, PMCH in Patna, DMCH in Darbhanga and SKMCH in Muzaffarpur while 472 samples are still under medical process for testing at these centres.
"With then functioning of testing centre at IGIMS, total six centres would together expedite the testing of samples," Kumar said.
Besides, he said that with a wide strategy to conduct door-to-door screening on the lines of Pulse Polio campaign being prepared, the state government has got ready to deal with the coronavirus in another meticulously planned method.
"The door to door screening for detection of symptomatic persons will start from April 16 in state's four districts namely Siwan, Begusarai, Nalanda and Nawada, which have reported maximum number of cases," he said.
In this first-of-its kind screening exercise, more than 8000 teams would be engaged for carrying out the deep door-to-door screening. "In other districts, which also reported positive cases in lesser number than those four districts, screening in all households within 3 km of radius of detected positive case and where someone has come from abroad between March 1 and 23 would also be done," he said.
As per figures obtained from the immigration department, around 22000 persons have come in Bihar from abroad between the above-mentioned period. Kumar said that anyone found symptomatic would be quarantined and sampled for testing. "Special attention would be those who are more thn 60 in age and for carrying out the entire excercise, more than 20000 health personnel are being drafted," he told the media.