To further ramp up Covid-19 testing capacity in the state, the Punjab government will procure seven automatic RNA extraction machines for the viral testing labs at three Government Medical Colleges in Patiala, Amritsar, and Faridkot.
They are in addition to four more machines for the newly-set up viral testing labs in Mohali, Ludhiana and Jalandhar cities.
The Punjab Cabinet, which met on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, gave the go-ahead for the procurement of these machines within the next 3-4 weeks, amid increasing cases of Covid-19 in the state.
The move is aimed at controlling the spread of the pandemic through increased testing by augmenting the state's fight under Mission Fateh.
According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office, the Cabinet gave the go-ahead to procure seven automatic RNA extraction machines of Thermofisher-make model Kingfisher flex and test kits as approved by the Health Sector Response and Procurement Committee.
The expenditure on these machines and test kits would be incurred from the State Disaster Response Fund, and the entire procurement process would be handled by the Vice-Chancellor of the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences in Faridkot.
The Department of Medical Education and Research had established two viral testing labs in March 2020 itself -- at Government Medical Colleges in Patiala and Amritsar.
Thereafter, in April 2020, the third viral testing lab was set up at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College in Faridkot.
Initially, testing capacity for Covid-19 was about 40 tests per lab per day. Later, when the department installed new extra machines, the testing capacity increased to 400 tests per lab per day.
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Subsequently, testing capacity was further increased with the purchase of three high throughput automatic RNA extraction machines of MGI make by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences at the cost of Rs 1.5 crore per machine.
This had enhanced the testing capacity to 3,000 tests per lab per day at each of the three labs in Government Medical Colleges.
However, the Covid-19 cases are gradually increasing and the average number of new cases over the past seven days is 281 per day, as against 100 per day in June.