CM KCR raises pitch for using CCMB lab for virus tests

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to utilise lab facilities at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in the city to test the coronavirus presence in patients.

The Chief Minister brought to the notice of the Prime Minister that lab facilities at the CCMB can be utilised for conducting tests for a large number of patients' blood samples from any place in the country.

He said that the CCMB was under the Centre's control and it conducts the life sciences research. If an opportunity is given to conduct tests for the coronavirus, a thousand samples can be tested at one go at the CCMB.

KCR spoke at the video conference on Friday evening conducted by Modi on the measures taken to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

The Chief Minister explained measures taken by the Telangana government and also offered some suggestions to the Prime Minister on the measures to be taken. In this context, the CM spoke about the CCMB.

The CM said that in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, passengers are coming from foreign countries in large numbers and they have to be thoroughly checked.

He wanted more focus should be made for these cities and appropriate measures should be taken in this regard. Since, the chances of virus spreading are more with these passengers from abroad, international flights should be cancelled for some time in the country, the CM suggested.

Since a large number of people in the country travel by rail, tests should be conducted at the railway stations. High sanitation should be maintained in the railway coaches and at the railway stations.

The CM said all measures were taken in Telangana to prevent people gathering in large numbers. KCR assured the PM that the state government would work with the centre to stop spread of the coronavirus in the country.