The Panvel Municipal Corporation will set up its own laboratory with a capacity of about five thousand RTPCR tests per day. The civic administration has planned to start it in the next one month at a health centre in Panvel with a cost of Rs 1.70 crores. At present, the civic body sends the sample to Alibaug to get the report and the reports come in at least five days.
Amid the concern of the Omicron variant of Covid, the civic body has started preparation and the timely report will help to isolate infected persons and prevent the spread. At present, the civic body has to wait five days to a week to get the report which will available the next day once the laboratory starts functioning.
A tender was already floated and the civic body also received responses. According to a senior civic official, the tender will be opened on January 3 and a decision will be taken to award the work. Deputy Commissioner Sachin Pawar informed that after completion of the tender process, the concerned contractor will be able to start the laboratory in Panvel in the next three to four weeks.
The Jumbo Covid Care hospital at Kalamboli has already become operational and at present, the Omicron variant patients are admitted. CIDCO had set up a 335-bed Covid Hospital at a warehouse in Kalamboli, where a special ward has been set up for Omicron patients.
The jumbo Covid hospital was set up at a cost of Rs 20 crores but it does not have a laboratory and samples have to send Alibaug and wait for a week to get the report,” said another senior civic official. He added that once the laboratory becomes operational, the tests report will be available the same day.
