J&K govt scales up COVID-19 testing facilities

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has scaled up sampling and testing facilities, with over 3,000 samples and 1.000 tests on a daily basis, an official spokesperson said.

The administration has taken a combination of containment and mitigation measures to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by carrying out contact tracing, limiting travel and quarantining citizens.

"It has scaled up its sampling and testing capabilities significantly to reduce the spread and impact of the virus," the spokesperson said.

The increased sampling and testing has become all the more important as the migrant workers and students belonging to the Union territory are returning back to their home districts, the spokesperson said.

The administration is ensuring that every person who returns from other states gets tested before going back to their home district, the official said.

In order to facilitate the testing, the government has already established a testing lab at the microbiology department, GMC Jammu.

According to Jammu Chief medical Officer J P Singh, around 1,000 tests are being performed on a daily basis in Jammu division alone for suspected novel coronavirus patients.

Tests are also being conducted in the IIIM Jammu and the Army Command Hospital, Udhampur.

"The department has increased the sample collection to more than 3,000 samples per day and every effort is being laid on taking it to 6,000 samples per day," the spokesperson said.

"More than 18,000 tests have been conducted in Jammu division till date. Dr Lal Path Labs, Jammu, has been approved by the ICMR to perform the tests," he added.

Special sample collection centres have been set up in Lakhanpur in Kathua, Thandi khui in Samba, Tikri in Udhampur, one in Doda. All migrant labourers and truck drivers are being tested at Lakhanpur, the spokesperson said.