As things stand, Telangana does not have a testing facility or appropriate testing kits to detect the dreadful novel coronavirus, which originated in the Wuhan province of China and has been spreading in certain parts of the world. All that the state does now is to send samples of swabs of suspected carriers of the virus to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
Health authorities in Telangana, however, said on Wednesday they had identified and set aside 100 isolation beds in three public health care facilities here.
State Health Minister Etela Rajender, who reviewed the preparedness of state agencies and resources available for management of coronavirus, again urged the general
public not to believe in rumours or get carried away by fake news on coronavirus being circulated on various social media platforms.
The Minister said that the State Government had taken steps to screen people who might have been exposed to the virus so as to prevent its spread in the State. He requested the Centre to provide kits that would enable the State Government to conduct the necessary tests to detect cases in Hyderabad itself.
At present, samples taken in Hyderabad are being sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
Stating that many students from Telangana were pursuing medical courses in China’s Wuhan province, which was at the centre of the outbreak, Rajender said that they were being screened on arrival at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here.
A special officer, Dr Vijay Kumar, has been appointed to oversee arrangements in Telangana.