Covid-19: Uttarakhand gets first swab collection booth

Haridwar: Uttarakhand got its first model coronavirus disease (Covid-19) booth on Monday to collect swab samples of suspected patients. The booth is on the lines of similar facilities that have been made available to other states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Jharkhand. The cost-effective booth has been installed at Rishikul Government Ayurvedic Hospital in Haridwar.

It hardly takes a minute to collect swab samples to conduct Covid-19 test, said Haridwar municipal corporation commissioner Narendra Singh Bhandari. “The outer body of the kiosk is made of aluminium. The kiosk will be sanitised each time a pathologist or a laboratory technician collects the swab samples of a patient. This is the most foolproof way to collect swab samples of a patient suspected to have been infected by SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19,” said Bhandari.

“The kiosk comes equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE) units such as gloves and hand sanitisers for medical personnel collecting the swab samples and also fitted with exhaust fans. Gloves are regularly changed and disinfected,” a civic body official said.

Dr Saroj Naithani, chief medical officer (CMO), Haridwar, said such kiosks would come in handy in conducting tests in Covid-19 hotspots. “They don’t need separate PPE kits, which save both time and money,” Dr Naithani added.