COVID-19: 51,000 samples tested till now, says state health minister

The picture has been used for representational purposes

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said that till now about 51,000 samples have been tested for coronavirus in the state.

"Of 51,000 samples, over 24,000 samples have been tested for coronavirus in Mumbai," Tope said.

He further said, "We have a total of 30 COVID-19 testing labs in the state including 15 government and 15 private labs. Soon, 6 more testing labs will be added in our list."

"We are increasing our capacity of labs so that the time-lapse between sample collection and test result can be minimised and better treatment is given to the infected patients as soon as possible," he added.

The State Health Minister further said that permission for rapid testing has been sought from ICMR.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India's count of positive cases of coronavirus reached 13,387, of which 3,205 cases have been reported from Maharashtra.

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