Any citizen who wants to get tested for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) can now get it done at a private lab. For the Chandigarh Administration has authorized a private lab-- SRL Diagnostics – to collect samples and test them at subsidized rate of Rs 4500 per patient.
Apart from this, the Administration has also decided to start rapid testing facility in the city.
These decisions were taken at the meeting held by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore on Friday here.
UT Home-cum-Health Secretary Arun Kumar Gupta said that that the Central Government has dispatched rapid testing kits, which will be utilized in consultation with medical experts in the city.
He also said that SRL Diagnostics has now been authorized to collect Covid samples and test them at subsidized rates of Rs 4500 per patient. Any private citizen can take advantage of this facility, he addwd.
Only a day before, the UT Administrator Badnore had asked the UT officers to explore the possibility of launching rapid testing facility here. Rapid antibody tests are for monitoring surveillance, not for diagnosis.
Currently, PGIMER, GMCH-32 and CSIR-IMTECH are testing Covid-19 samples in the city.
The present Covid-19 detection tests being carried out in the country are called PCR (polymerase chain reaction), which require nasal or throat swabs.
The rapid testing kits are quicker to get early results and use blood samples of suspected patients and normally take around 15-30 minutes to give the result. Under this, one has to clean their finger with an alcohol swab and use the lancet provided for finger-pricks.
The city has so far recorded 21 positive Covid-19 patients out of which ten have recovered. With the discharge of one more patient from PGIMER on Friday, the number of active Covid cases in Chandigarh has reduced to 11.
During the meeting, the Administration directed Director Health Services, Dr G Dewan to ensure that private doctors running clinics and dispensaries are trained properly in handling Covid-19 cases, so that the unfortunate situation, as happened in Panchkula does not arise here.
Notably, a private doctor in Panchkula was booked by the local Police under relevant provisions of law for allegedly failing to inform state health authorities that he had been treating a suspected Coronavirus patient. The patient—a woman—later tested positive for the Coronavirus.
Badnore also directed all UT officials to strictly follow discipline and the guidelines issued by the Central Government from time to time.
He also appealed the residents to download and utilise the Arogaya Setu mobile application which will serve as a personal shield for them against Covid-19. He expressed hope that with full cooperation of Chandigarh residents we can get out of the red zone.
Chandigarh has been declared a Covid-19 hotspot by the Central Government. A curfew was imposed in the city on March 24 to ensure social distancing and combat the spread of Covid-19.
UT considering concession in electricity charges
UT Finance Secretary AK Sinha on Friday said that the matter regarding concession in electricity charges is under consideration.
In view of curfew imposition in the city, the Administration has already extended the due date of electricity bills for all consumers. The Administration has also allowed the residents to make self assessment of the power bills.
In Chandigarh, there are around 2.25 lakh power consumers, out of which 1.75 lakh are residential users.
Admn to provide ration to NGOs
With people from the economically weaker sections struggling to get regular supply of food in the city, the UT Administration has decided to provide ration to NGOs to supply cooked food to the needy people.
While supply of essential items is going on smoothly in the sectors, needy people in periphery areas are struggling to get meal every day as some NGOs and other organizations providing cooked food had withdrawn from the services due to shortage of ration.
“A mix of ration and cooked food will be supplied. The supply of milk powder has also been started for small children,” said a senior UT officer.
He said that to encourage charities to supply cooked food, the Administration has decided to provide them ration. Administration, which is currently providing 5,000 cooked food packets, will also be boosting the supply through its mid-day meal infrastructure.”
Use of e-coupons are also being planned for streamlining distribution and shortening waiting time for people for collecting ration, he added
So far, around 10,000 families have been provided with wheat and pulses under PMGKAY in the city.68,525 cooked food packets were distributed among the destitutes and needy persons in various parts of the city on Friday.