Private labs to join BMC for antigen testing in Malad, Jogeshwari today

Two already told to start testing in west suburbs, as BMC ramps up efforts

After carrying out antigen tests at various quarantine centres in the suburbs, the civic body is set to rope in private laboratories to ramp up the city's testing capacity. While the health department floated a tender on Tuesday to get private labs on board, a couple of them have been told to start testing in certain areas Wednesday onwards until the tendering process is over.

Starting Wednesday, Thyrocare and Suburban Diagnostics have been asked to accompany the civic body's screening teams in Malad and Jogeshwari. Chandrasekhar Mani, vice president of Thyrocare said, "We have received a list of five locations in Jogeshwari and Malad. Based on the schedule, we will accompany the BMC's team to the housing societies. We expect to do 200-300 tests per day." Health department officials said a similar schedule has been worked out with Suburban Diagnostics and a spokesperson of theirs said they will carry out the tests in Malad.

Health workers sort test samples at a CCC in Kandivli

Sanjog Kabare, assistant municipal commissioner of P South ward, said that they are targeting private residential buildings that have a higher number of cases. "We have been carrying out antigen tests and till date, out of the 381 tests in the ward, 29 have returned positive. Five to six patients who were symptomatic and had tested negative have been sent for the RT-PCR test," he said, adding that cases have emerged from SRA buildings in Malad east, Appapada and residential buildings in Pushpa Park.

"Bidders will have time until 4 pm on July 17 to apply. The tender can be given to multiple laboratories as long as they agree to the lowest price for the tests," said an official from the health department. The official added that currently, antigen testing is being done in nine wards in the eastern and western suburbs and the private laboratories will also operate in the same areas. "We are not using antigen tests in south Mumbai currently since they are already being carried out at KEM, Nair and Kasturba hospitals," said the official.

The civic body had purchased one lakh antigen kits earlier this month. Compared to the RT-PCR tests which take at least a day, the rapid antigen tests can give results within 30 minutes. Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said, "Currently, we are testing around 500 people per day and hope to increase capacity in the coming days. We are currently focussing on North Mumbai and will soon start testing in Containment Zones in other parts of the city as well."

Due to more cases in wards like P North (Malad), R South, R Central and R North (Kandivli-Dahisar) and N, S and T in the eastern suburbs, the BMC started the tests in these areas first. Vishwas Shankarwar, deputy municipal commissioner of zone VII that covers R South, R Central and R North wards said till July 13, 754 tests have been carried out and 26 returned positive so far.

500
No. of people being tested with antigen method per day

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