India's first mobile I-LAB for COVID-19 testing launched; Check details

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, "To ensure testing facilities in far-flung areas, such innovations have been developed in the interior, inaccessible parts of the country."

Image courtesy: PIB

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday (June 18) launched India`s first mobile laboratory for COVID-19 testing for the last mile testing access. 

Under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign, Ministry of Science and Technology and Andhra Pradesh Med-tech Zone have collaborated to address the shortage of critical healthcare technologies in India and move progressively towards a stage of self-sufficiency. 

Union Health Minister said, "To ensure testing facilities in far-flung areas, such innovations have been developed in the interior, inaccessible parts of the country" while launching  the  mobile laboratory. 

Explaining the scope of this lab, Vardhan said, "It has the capability to perform 25 RT-PCR tests per day, 300 ELISA tests per day and additional tests for TB, HIV as per CGHS rates," adding "We had started the fight against COVID with one laboratory in February. Today, we have 953 laboratories across the country. Out of these 953, around 699 are government labs." 

According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the mobile I-LAB "will be deployed in remote, interior and inaccessible parts of the country and have capability to perform 25 COVID-19 RT-PCR tests/Day, 300 ELISA tests/day, additional tests for TB, HIV etc. as per CGHS rates."

The Infectious Disease Diagnostic Lab (I-LAB) is supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, under the COVID command strategy.

During the last 24 hours, 7390 COVID-19 patients were cured. A total of 1,94,324 patients, so far, have been cured of COVID-19. The recovery rate rises to 52.96%. Currently, 1,60,384 active cases are under medical supervision.

The number of government labs has been increased to 699 and private labs have been increased to 254 (A total of 953). The break-up is given as:

1. Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: 540 (Govt: 349 + Private: 191)       

2. TrueNat based testing labs: 340 (Govt: 325 + Private: 15)   

3. CBNAAT based testing labs: 73 (Govt: 25 + Private: 48)    

In the last 24 hours, 1,65,412 samples were tested. The total number of samples tested thus far is 62,49,668.

For all authentic and updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines and advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva.

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). A list of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at  https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf .