BHUBANESWAR: Her day begins at 6 am and when she reaches the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) two hours later after wrapping up daily household chores, Elina Routray knows she is in for a long haul. From aliquoting virus to RNA extraction, Elina, 27, is the lone woman laboratory technician among the six-member team at RMRC, the ICMR centre in Bhubaneswar. When everyone is advised to stay home, she handles the virus every single day. That’s her duty which always comes before everything else.
Her job starts after samples arrive at the centre. Ready with protective gear and personal protective equipment, she carries the samples into the Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) lab where only two persons are allowed to be present at a time. After mixing the required reagents as per prescribed protocol, she aliquots the virus and processes for RNA extraction before sending it to the PCR machine for ascertaining the presence of the novel coronavirus.
Elina - who spends a gruelling 10 to 12 hours a day in the lab - has handled more than 1700 samples in last one month while sticking to the strict lab protocol.
“The entire process is carried out in 20 degree negative pressure which involves risk. Since all protections and precautions are taken, the risks are subdued but we have to be careful all the time. Though remaining inside the lab with all protective gear for a long time is a cumbersome affair, it feels nothing compared to the sacrifice doctors make while treating the patients,” Elina, a native of Cuttack, says.
As per protocol, she must isolate herself after returning from the laboratory. Thankfully, her roommate left for home before the lockdown was imposed and Elina does not have to bother about it anymore.A PG in Chemistry from Berhampur University with a Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology, she joined RMRC in 2017. In over two years, she has handled many viruses but Covid-19 is different. Fear is there but it fails to deter me anymore,” she said.
Back home, Elina’s parents are proud of her. “I am not apprehensive. I know she works in a risky environment but I continue to encourage her,” says father Ullash Chandra Routray, a State Government employee. Director of RMRC Sanghamitra Pati says Elina and other members of the technicians’ team are very dedicated. “They are the strength of our laboratory,” she adds.