Srikakulam: VDRL yet to get advanced facilities

Srikakulam: Viral Diseases Diagnostic Research Laboratory (VDRL) is not fully equipped with all advanced facilities to conduct Covid-19 tests in the district. Samples of the suspected are still being sent to Rangaraya Medical College in Kakinada for confirmation.

For confirmation of Covid-19 disease, Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) test is essential and it is available only at VDRL. In Srikakulam government RIMS hospital, the VDRL was established ten days ago and started working for the last four days. But facilities are available only to test samples here. Only some samples are being tested here and remaining are being sent to Kakinada.

For the last ten days, medical and health department staff has collected about 1,000 samples every day, of them only 200 are being tested here and remaining samples are being sent to Kakinada.

Due to lack of availability of test kits, trained medical staff and machines, all the samples collected here are not tested locally to save precious time at this juncture.

"We started testing of samples through RTPCR here for the last four days but unable to test all samples locally, so we are still depending on Kakinada for confirmation," district surveillance officer (DSO) for Covid-19 Dr Bagadi Jagannadha Rao told The Hans India.