TrueNat lab closed after three staff test Covid positive in Bokaro
BOKARO: Covid testing through the TrueNat machine at the Bokaro sadar hospital stopped on Monday after three staff of the hospital manning the laboratory tested positive for Covid-19.
Civil surgeon Dr A K Pathak said it will take 48 hours to reopen the lab after a thorough sanitisation.
He said, “Two technicians and a supervisor deployed at our lab in sadar hospital tested positive, following which the TrueNat test and sample collection remained suspended from today as the laboratory is being sanitised.
It will open after 48 hours.”
A total of eight employees are deployed at the laboratory, which is the lone facility in Bokaro. The lab has three TrueNat machines and about 100 samples are tested daily. One Truenat machine was installed at the Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) last week but it is yet to become fully functional.
Simultaneously, the district sends samples to the RT-PCR lab of PMCH in Dhanbad but the results are often delayed. Currently, more than 2000 are pending at PMCH, officials said. “In urgent and critical cases like pregnancy and injuries, we depend on the TrueNat laboratory for speedy results,” an official said.
A total of eight employees are deployed at the laboratory, which is the lone facility in Bokaro. The lab has three TrueNat machines and about 100 samples are tested daily. One Truenat machine was installed at the Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) last week but it is yet to become fully functional.
Simultaneously, the district sends samples to the RT-PCR lab of PMCH in Dhanbad but the results are often delayed. Currently, more than 2000 are pending at PMCH, officials said. “In urgent and critical cases like pregnancy and injuries, we depend on the TrueNat laboratory for speedy results,” an official said.
Till Monday morning, Bokaro district had 283 total cases of Covid-19 of which 140 are active and two patients have died from the viral infection. The district has also recorded 141 recoveries, so far.
Next Story
READ ON APP