RAT tests to help clear piled-up bodies in hospitals, says Mamata

Kolkata: Following reports that bodies of suspected COVID-19 patients are getting piled up in hospitals of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that delay in getting RT-PCR test results has led to such a situation.

She said that the government has decided to conduct Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) to quickly find out whether a person died of coronavirus or not and perform the last rites.

"There are reports of bodies piling up in hospitals.

This is because doctors wait for RT-PCR tests conducted on a person and it takes at least 72 hours for the results to arrive. We have decided to conduct RAT tests, results of which can be obtained in three hours. Cremation will be done with due respect in presence of the family members," she said.

All hospitals have been informed about it, the chief minister said.

"We are giving priority to those who will get the second dose of the vaccine. But we are not getting ample numbers of vaccines. We have given requisition of three crore vaccines and have got only a few lakhs, Banerjee said.

She also said that the state would inoculate journalists as well as transport workers and hawkers.

Around 2.75 lakh quack doctors will be allowed to provide preliminary treatment to Covid patients following a guideline of the state health department, she said.

Banerjee said that by next week, another 3,000 beds would be added to the existing number of 27,000 COVID-beds in various hospitals in the state.

The CM also visited two hospitals in Kolkata.