Odisha Fights COVID-19: Shortage Of RNA Kits Delays Tests At SCB

Cuttack: Shortage of Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) test kits are delaying tests for COVID-19 at SCB Medical College and Hospital here.

SCB superintendent Dr Annada Prasad Patnaik informed that doctors and medical staff of the Microbiology and Biochemistry departments are not able to conduct 397 sample tests due to the shortage of kits.

The hospital had received these samples from Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Puri on Sunday, he said.

Patnaik, however, added that the state government has ordered RNA kits from Kolkata. “We hope that the kits will arrive here by Monday afternoon,” he said.

Talking about the shortfall, a senior doctor at SCB said the demand for RNA kits has suddenly gone up with tests being ramped up at several labs across the country.