With rapid rise in coronavirus cases in Ladakh, administration enhances testing capacity

Yangchan Dolma
Tribune News Service
Leh, June 14

In view of the rapid rise in coronavirus positive cases in the Union Territory of Ladakh over the past two days, the UT administration has decided to enhance the testing capacity of the recently established COVID-19 testing laboratory—bio-safety level 2 (BSL-2) and ramped up the testing of suspected patients.

Ladakh has only one laboratory where molecular testing is being conducted with capacities of 80 samples daily.

The health department is referring the samples of those who are symptomatic for testing at the laboratory and the rest of the samples are being sent to National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi.

Health Commissioner Secretary Rigzin Samphel said Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur has approved the purchase of additional RTPCR machine to the existing one in the laboratory during a review meeting held on Saturday about the COVID-19 situation in Leh and Kargil districts.

The machine is expected to reach Leh in the next ten days.

He further said the UT administration has also decided to procure Eliza machines for Leh and Kargil districts for screening patients.

Meanwhile, the positive cases of COVID-19 in Ladakh witnessed another spike today with report of 112 more new cases including eight from Leh district and 104 from Kargil district.

With this, the total active cases in Ladakh reached 468, including 404 in Kargil district. Leh has 64, after discharge of 12 recovered patients from the hospital today.