Noida: After GIMS, two private labs get ICMR nod for COVID-19 testing

After the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), two private labs one in Noida and the other in Greater Noida have got centre's nod to conduct COVID-19 tests, taking the number of such facilities in Gautam Buddh Nagar to three, officials said on Wednesday.

The Sharda Hospital, a medical college run by Sharda University, in Greater Noida and the Jaypee Hospital in Noida on Tuesday got the approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body for biomedical research in the country.

A notification mentioning their approval was uploaded on the ICMR website.

So far, only three private labs in Uttar Pradesh have got the ICMR nod for COVID-19 testing, the third being RML Mehrotra Pathology in Lucknow, according to the notification.

GIMS in Greater Noida was given the approval for COVID-19 testing by the ICMR earlier.

Gautam Buddh Nagar adjoining Delhi in western Uttar Pradesh has so far recorded 137 positive cases of coronavirus and is one of the worst-hit districts in the state while so far 3,561 sampleshave been taken in the district for testing, according to official figures.

Among the private labs that have got ICMR clearance for COVID-19 testing, the Sharda Hospital is also a dedicated coronavirus health care facility with a 200-bed facility.

As of Wednesday evening, 46 COVID-19 patients, including 38 positive and eight suspected, were admitted at the Sharda hospital, its spokesperson Ajit Kumar said.

Ours is also the first medical college in UP which has got the approval from ICMR and the NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) for COVID-19 testing," he said.

"The Sharda hospital is aiming to come up with test results within 24 hours and boost the district administration's efforts to combat the pandemic here, he added.