COVID-19 testing: 5th lab of Assam getting accreditation from ICMR

Assam : Assam has got its fifth novel coronavirus testing centre, with the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) accrediting the Barpeta Medical College and Hospital’s laboratory for testing samples of suspected COVID-19 patients. Announcing this, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Happy to inform (you) that Barpeta Medical College laboratory is accredited by ICMR for COVID-19 testing from today. It becomes the 5th lab of Assam to achieve this. This will further enhance our capacity for a much wider community testing, especially in lower Assam.”

Earlier, the ICMR accredited four centres spread across the state for testing samples of suspected novel coronavirus patients after the outbreak of novel coronavirus in the country. These four centres are located at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Silchar Medical College and Hospital, and Assam Medical College and Hospital(Dibrugarh). Health Minister Sarma further said that no coronavirus positive case is detected in Assam, so far. Meanwhile, the state Health Department around 4.7lakh surgical masks were released, on Monday, for the frontline health workers in order to ensure their safety during the screening of suspected novel coronavirus patients.

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