Karwar: State Health Department has given approval for the set up of Covid-19 testing laboratory at Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences. 

Once after the set up of testing lab, it will be helpful for the district administration to avail the reports of throat swabs of Covid-19 suspected people without delay.

Deputy Commissioner K Harish Kumar said, the laboratory will be set up at the earliest.  At present, there are only three Covid-19 positive cases in the district. Two of them are being treated at INHS Patanjali Hospital at Naval Base in the City and one is being treated in Udupi.

All the recovered persons are under quarantine in Bhatkal. Till the further orders, there will be no relaxation from lockdown in Bhatkal cluster, he clarified.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Md Roshan said, the laboratory will consist of two machines--Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (Cb-NAAT) and Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction machine (Rt PCR).