City to get 50 more rapid Corona testing centres

Kolkata: Bracing up for winter, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to set up 50 more rapid Corona testing centres at different locations in the city.

The move comes after a section of health experts apprehended that the novel Coronavirus may spread rapidly during winter.

Presently, KMC has 72 health centres in the city where rapid antigen tests are being conducted on a daily basis. The testing centres are equipped with air conditioning facilities for proper functioning of the machines.

"We have a target to set up testing centres at 122 places in the city. As the mercury level is dropping, we will not require air conditioning facilities. So, the process of setting up of the centres will speed up," said

a senior official of KMC's Health department.

"It has been witnessed that most respiratory illnesses like SARS, influenza, etc show a seasonal variation, with cases spiking in winter months. Viruses tend to survive longer in the cold and dry climate,"said a general physician of a state government-run hospital in the city.

Furthermore, low humidity promotes evaporation of viral particles and aerosol formations, which can increase the spread of airborne

diseases.

The Covid testing centres without air conditioning facilities can be run till February. KMC is also using its 8 mobile laboratories for conducting rapid tests.

The number of positive cases in Kolkata till date, according to the health bulletin, is over 1.02 lakhs with total number of deaths at 2,541.

The number of active cases is 6,846.