MYSURU: Even as the state has been recording a huge spurt in Covid-19 cases with every passing day, Minister for Medical Education Dr K Sudhakar on Monday said that “close to one per cent population of the state (six lakh) has undergone Covid-19 tests against the population of six crore”. He was speaking during the inauguration of a Covid testing centre at JSS Hospital in the city, via video conference along with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, fro m Bengaluru. Sudhakar said that “the tests are being conducted on a priority which has helped the state in handling the situation.
It is also helping in gauging the extent of spread of virus in society”. Further, he said that starting from two Covid testing laboratories in February, the state has added 79 such labs in just a span of four months, with the inauguration of the new facility in Mysuru in the day. It was possible as the authorities were able to convince Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to do away with their direct intervention and instead have NIMHANS as the nodal office for the state to approve the laboratories.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa stressed on the importance of increasing testings in the state and opined that “JSS Hospital should be a model for other private medical facilities in the state”. Suttur Seer Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji appealed to the public to come forward and voluntarily get themselves tested to allay fear. If the infection goes undetected, the possibility of spread cannot be denied.