Testing should be intensified in Bengal, not getting enough samples: NICED director

Screening and testing should be intensified to ascertain if there has been any case of community transmission of COVID-19 in West Bengal, Shanta Dutta, director of the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), said on Tuesday.

Expressing her dissatisfaction over testing being conducted only on those who have acute symptoms or the ones who have come in contact with COVID-19 patients, the director of NICED -- the state's primary COVID-19 testing facility -- stressed that people should be examined, irrespective of their travel history.

"It's high time we start conducting tests on people residing at microspots -- identified by the health department. Tests must be conducted even when people don't show symptoms. This will help us find out if there has been any case of community transmission of COVID-19. And conducting swab tests is not a big deal," Dutta told PTI.

Describing the current situation as "quite alarming", she went on to emphasise the need to carry out door-to-door tests.

"We must also start conducting door-to-door tests in Bengal, which has a dense population. This will help us get a clearer picture on the degree of the contamination," she said.

"If we were to compare, the number of tests conducted in other states is far higher than what it is here... it's a state subject and the government has to take a call on this," she said, adding that her institute is ready to help the ruling dispensation in this regard, if approached.

Dutta insisted that the institute was getting lesser number of samples for testing from the government compared to what it used to receive in the initial days of the outbreak.

"Earlier, we were getting nearly 90 samples (every day)... The numbers have now dropped. Yesterday we got 60 samples," she said.

When pointed out there were six other centres in operation, the NICED director pointed out that her institute was better equipped in conducting such tests.

"Ours is bigger with better infrastructure. We have four equipment. NICED's standard is no less than that of a medical college. We also have better capacity, which is around 200," she added.

Apart from the NICED, the ICMR has authorised six testing laboratories in West Bengal the SSKM and the School of Tropical Medicine in Kolkata, Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital and private facilities, Apollo Hospital and Tata Medical Centre.

At least 2,793 samples have been tested for COVID-19 till April 13 in the state. The total number of coronavirus cases stands at 137, according to the state health department.