Bhubaneswar: The state government Saturday said that it would start conducting tests for the novel coronavirus at five new centres including four medical colleges of Odisha by the end of this month.
The Heath department Additional Chief Secretary Pradipta Mohapatra said that two medical colleges will start Covid testing from May 23 while two more medical colleges will start offering the facility by the end of this month.
“We are going to start testing from Bolangir and Koraput medical colleges from May 23. We can then do the testing of those areas from these medical colleges after that. From May 31 we can start the tests from Balasore and Baripada medical colleges,” he said.
He also said that within next two days, one more lab will start functioning from Khurda district. “Within two days we are also likely to start testing the Centre’s FMD Labs in Khurda district situated near Arugul which has come at an investment of Rs 250 crore,” he said.
The official said that the state has been conducting nearly 4,700 tests per day which is likely to cross 5,000 per day from May 18. The government meanwhile said that it has been monitoring the health of incoming migrants every day.
“Daily health check-ups of the migrants are being done. Those developing symptoms are being shifted to corona care centres. We have decided to add 5,000 more beds in quarantine centres of Ganjam district while other areas witnessing return of migrants will get 1,000 more beds,” he said.
Mohapatra also pesented the data of the migrants coming to the state and said that Ganjam district has seen almost 45 per cent of the total migrants coming.
“By 2pm today, a total of 1,33,245 persons have returned to the state through trains and buses and other mediums. A total of 55,567 migrants returned to Ganjam, which has reported the highest number of returnees. Balasore has reported return of 11,368 migrants, Cuttack 8,698 and Kendrapara 4,797.”
