Aizawl, Jun 8 (PTI) A Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) will be set up in Mizoram to boost the state's capacity to test samples for COVID-19, Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana said on Monday.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the proposal, he said.

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The state government is currently testing samples for COVID-19 with the help of two RT-PCR machines installed at the state-run Zoram Medical College and two similar machines will be brought to Mizoram within three days, the health minister said.

Two TrueNat machines have been installed at the Lunglei Civil Hospital with the ICMR's approval to test samples in the southern part of the state, he said.

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The state government will procure 50 ventilators from the Union health ministry and an "automated RNA extractor" will soon be installed at the ZMC, Lalthangliana said.

"We hope to test over 1,000 samples daily once the new machines are installed," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)