THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : With rise in Covid-19 cases in the state, the government has permitted purchase of 10 real time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) machines to facilitate faster testing, Health Minister KK Shailaja Teacher told reporters today. Of these. 7 PCR machines have already arrived, she added.
Kannur and Ernakulam Medical Colleges will receive 2 PCR machines each, while Medical Colleges of Kottayam, Manjeri and Kozhikode will be allotted 1 each. Staff at these centres have already undergone required training and testing at these labs will commence shortly, the Minister said.
Presently Covid 19 is being tested for at 9 labs in Kerala. Test in the initial days were carried out at N.I.V, Alappuzha. It was later expanded to labs at Kozhikode Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Thrissur Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram Rajiv Gandhi Medical For Biotechnology, Malabar Cancer Centre and Kottayam Inter University Centre for Biomedical Research. Kasaragod Central University was recently granted permission to conduct the tests, Minister KK Shailaja added.
