Labs in Chattogram start testing 2 coronavirus samples with 1 kit

Coronavirus testing labs in Chattogram have started testing 2 samples with a single reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine testing kit from Tuesday.

Coronavirus testing labs of the Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID), Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), Chittagong University (CU) and Chattogram Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) have officially started testing samples in this process.

Civil Surgeon of Chattogram, Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi said that though this process was previously used on an experimental basis, labs have started using this process officially from Tuesday.

Head of the coronavirus testing lab of CVASU, Professor Dr Junayed Siddiqui said, "After testing 150 samples using 75 kits in our lab, we found all the results to be accurate. All the samples are being tested in the same manner on Tuesday as well."

According to the office of the Chattogram civil surgeon, a survey was conducted by the Livestock Research Institute lab at Savar about the feasibility of using one kit to test two coronavirus samples.

The organisation got positive results on the survey, and after that the Department of Health directed all of the concerned authorities to start this program all over the country.