SHILLONG: On a day the active COVID-19 cases in the state neared the 650-mark, Meghalaya Government appears to believe that, apart from micro-management, ramping up its testing facilities was its best strategy. The health department is now poised to jack up the number of tests from 800 to 1200 daily.
DHS (MI) Dr Aman War on Saturday said that health authorities are activating the RTPCR machines at Pasteur Institute and also looking at the possibility of activating another one at Indian Council of Agricultural Research or ICAR, Umiam.
The activation process is on but it will take some time as approval is required from ICMR.
Talking about CSIR Jorhat with whom the State is looking to tie up for testing samples, Dr War informed that initially, they had asked the Government to send 300 samples per day but now they are saying around 1000 tests from the state can be tested there on a single day.
It may be mentioned that beside other testing machines like TrueNat and rapid kits, the State has three RTPCR labs. NEIGRIHMS has been conducting 600 tests a day, Pasteur Institute tests 100 samples a day and Tura Civil Hospital accounts for over a 100 tests a day. All in all the State conducts testing of over 800 samples a day.