"Safer, Quicker" COVID-19 Testing Booth Inaugurated At Bengaluru Hospital
The suspected coronavirus-infected individual walks up to the booth, the health worker takes their sample and moves on to the next person only after a sanitation process.
by Maya Sharma
Bengaluru:
A glove box coronavirus testing booth for swab collection was inaugurated at a Karnataka government hospital in Bengaluru today. The design of the portable booth allows for safer, easier and quicker testing.
The testing method involves the collection of samples by a health worker inside the booth. The suspected coronavirus-infected individual walks up to the booth, the health worker takes their sample and moves on to the next person only after a sanitation process. Each contactless test takes about 5 minutes to be carried out.
Inaugurating the booth at Bengaluru's Victoria hospital, Karnataka's Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that the uniquely designed kiosks reduce the need for PPE kits while at the same time adhering to the norms of social distancing.
"It is a great initiative by mechanical engineers. They have designed a very unique model of testing. They have handed it over voluntarily to eight of our institutions. A person collecting the swab can be without PPE kits with fresh air and exhaust. There are 3 compartments so he can collect the swab for 3 people. There is a continuous process of collection. While collecting one sample, the other two segregated compartments will be disinfected automatically.," Dr K Sudhakar told NDTV.
As the booths are portable, they could be conveniently used at border check posts and in hot spots with many suspected cases. The booth could travel to the people, rather than the other way around.
The booths are cost-effective as well, as each of them costs around Rs 15,000-20,000.
Karnataka, with over 2,500 cases, has a relatively lower number of infections than other states, but is tackling a spike in numbers largely due to the arrival of travellers from other states. Safe and quick testing is widely considered to be one of the best ways to slow the spread of the virus.