Union government permitted 12 private labs authorised to conduct tests

New Delhi: The Union government on Monday permitted 12 private labs to conduct Covid-19 detection tests. The Indian Council of Medical Research said, "12 private-lab chains have registered after being allowed for Covid-19 testing; they have 15,000 collection centres."

The list includes five labs in Maharashtra, two each in Haryana and Tamil Nadu, and one each in Delhi, Gujarat and Karnataka. The National Task Force recommends that the maximum cost for testing should not exceed Rs 4,500.

This may include Rs 1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test, the guidelines said.

Reliance facility

Mumbai: The Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Monday announced it has set up India's first dedicated COVID-19 hospital with 100-bed capacity in a short span of just two weeks.