Mumbai: BMC may have set a 24-hour deadline for RT-PCR test reports after sample collection, but the patient queued in the laboratory said the settlement time had risen to 48-72 hours.
Laboratories blame the delay of exponential hikes in sample loads in a few days and some of the staff they get covid themselves.
“The Diagnostic Center in Shivaji Park, Dadar, that I left on Friday morning for the RT-PCR test to tell me that I would get a report only on Monday,” said Rosaline Sequeira (the name changed on request).
“They told me that other testing centers would not be able to issue reports within 24 hours because of the large sample load,” he said.
This is contrary to the order of January 1 where the city commissioner makes it clear the RT-PCR settlement time should not exceed 24 hours (from the time the Swab sample is collected by the laboratory to result in a declaration to BMC).
A senior doctor from KEM Hospital struggling which remembers the nature of omicrons, many can be symptoms free when the test report arrives in 3-4 days.
A civilian official overseeing test data said the restrictions on 4-5 laboratories, largely can provide reports in 24 hours.
“We tried to monitor but there were more than 120 laboratories in the city that did Covid tests,” the official said.
Positive reports are communicated to the first and subsequent BMC for individuals, which need several hours.
The city carries out more than 60,000 to 70,000 tests now, including 16,000 antigen tests.
Kannan Alangadan, Coo of Metropolis Healthcare, said the laboratory handles the volume close to the peak of delta waves.
“The test has tripled compared to three weeks ago,” he said, adding they had established a team of Covid-19 who was dedicated to ensure reports were sent in the 24-hour timeline.
The lab has seen a leap more than 40% everyday in the sample collection in the last six days.
Of the 3,608 on Tuesday, the sample rose to 5,153 on Wednesday and 7,186 on Thursday.
Many laboratories face labor shortages due to some of their technicians, isolated collection agents after positive testing.
Anand K, CEO of Diagnostic SRL, said they are currently overcoming the load but further increases will place their system under pressure.
“We do everything in our capacity to provide reports about time despite seeing a quadrupled increase in the number of tests compared to three weeks ago,” he told Toi.
Laboratories are testing 30,000 samples every day in 23 facilities throughout India.
House testing kit houses have risen multifold in the city.
Citizenship officials say almost 3,000 reports are communicated to them every day but the number of tests performed is much higher.
“Onus is in people to report to us,” the official said.