COVID-19: Karnataka plans to step up testing to 75,000 a day

Bengaluru: Karnataka has planned to increase Covid-19 testing numbers to 75,000 a day with a good mix of RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests using the 100 ICMR-approved labs in the State, Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Tuesday.

The government has already ramped up the testing capacity to 50,000 tests a day now, he said at an interaction Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with heads of 10 States. The government has also deployed 1300 mobile testing teams to carry out field testing in containment and buffer zones.

Sudhakar requested the Centre to work out a new set of guidelines allowing Karnataka, among other states, to deploy final year MBBS and para medical students on Covid-19 duties. He also requested the Centre to increase the number of MBBS seats by 10,000 MBBS and post graduate medical seats by 2000 in medical colleges so that the state can have more medical professionals and overcome shortage.