Jaipur: Rajasthan on Friday started conducting rapid tests for COVID-19 with the arrival of 10,000 testing kits, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said.
He informed that 50,000 more kits will come by Friday night and the state will get 2 lakh rapid testing kits in the next three days. "We have received 10,000 kits and started conducting rapid testing. In addition to this, PCR-based testing will continue to be done like before and there will be no compromise," he told reporters through videoconferencing.
A mix of rapid tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based tests, which are currently being used to in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, will help Rajasthan control and manage the coronavirus outbreak more efficiently, the chief minister said.
He, however, said rapid testing is not a confirmatory test for COVID-19. A state official informed that rapid testing helps in quickly isolating patients and prevents the spread of the virus.
The test will be done at a large scale to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 in hotspots. The tests will be done at designated points on people with coronavirus-like symptoms and "super spreaders" like vegetable vendors and grocery store owners, who are likely to be in contact with multiple people.
The rapid testing began in the evening and all 52 people who were checked at Jaju Dispensary area tested negative for COVID-19, an official said. Gehlot said the state government will set up labs in every district to enhance the testing capacity from the present 4,000 tests per day to 10,000 tests per day over the next 10 days.
He said the state run SMS hospital in Jaipur is part of a research team on plasma therapy. The chief minister said the state government will also have to take "austerity measures" and manage finances accordingly as there is no revenue collection due to the lockdown.
He informed that the state government has issued 1,530 licences to food processing units for direct procurement of grains from farmers and this will eliminate the chain of middlemen. He said wearing mask has been made mandatory in the state. In a meeting with district collectors, Gehlot said the state government's contingency plan for drinking water supply during the summer season is ready and an amount of Rs 65 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose. He directed officials to ensure proper supply of drinking water during summers.
Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, ministers of other departments and senior officers were present at the meeting.
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