Tripura develops risk-free mobile van for Covid-19 testing

(Recasting intro, edits throughout) Agartala, Apr 28 () Taking cue from Kerala, the expertsof Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) have developed amobile COVID-19 testing van in which swab samples arecollected by health workers from inside a glass encasement,minimising risk of exposure to novel coronavirus.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb gave information aboutthe van which he said will also cut down Personal ProtectiveEquipment (PPE) wastage.

The three-wheeler van can negotiate through the narrowlanes and facilitate easy sample collection from the entirecommunity, the chief minister wrote in his facebook post.

AMC Commissioner Dr Sailesh Kumar Yadav said, kioskis placed on the van for carrying rapid random communitytesting.

He said the device has been fashioned after theKerala model where stationary testing kiosks are placed infront of the hospitals.

The testing van is first-of-its kind in thenortheastern region, a top AMC official claimed.

The chief minister wrote in his Facebook page,"Nowpatients wouldnt need to go to hospitals to provide samples.Besides, it will help in conducting a large number of tests inshort period of time.

On the inaugural day on Monday, the mobile testingunit collected swabs from doctors and paramedics underquarantine,who had earlier treated COVID-19 patients in thehospital, West Tripura district health surveillance officerDr. Sangeeta Chakraborty said.

From Tuesday, it has been deployed for general publicand the van collected swab samples of people in MaharajganjBazaar and other prominent markets of the capital city, ChiefMedical Officer (CMO) of West Tripura district Debasish Dassaid.

The Northeastern state of Tripura does not have anyCovid patient now. But, the state continues to be on guardagainst the deadly virus.

"We can now undertake rapid random community testingby using such vans. Medical experts can collect swab samplesof people from inside a glass encasement, so there is nochance of having any physical contact," the AMC commissioner,who is also head of the Smart City Project, implemented by thecorporation in Agartala, said. JOY MMSNS SNS