India News | Yogi Inaugurates BSL-2 Labs, Asks Officials to Conduct More COVID-19 Tests

Lucknow, Aug 31 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday emphasised on more aggressive testing for COVID-19 till a vaccine is developed.

If door-to-door surveys and testing are strengthened, there will be more success against the disease, he said while inaugurating 13 bio-safety level 2 (BSL-2) laboratories in the state through video conferencing.

Also Read | Facebook Row: Congress Demands Criminal Investigation Into Affairs of the Social Media Giant in India.

Ten of these labs have been established in state-run medical colleges in Jalaun, Azamgarh, Ambedkarnagar, Saharanpur, Basti, Bahraich, Firozabad, Banda and Badaun districts. The other three labs are set up in private medical colleges in Hapur, Barabanki and Moradabad.

Each lab is efficient to conduct 5,000 tests per day. At present, the state is conducting 24,000 tests on every 10 lakh people, the statement said.

Also Read | COVID-19 Positive Student Appears For Diploma Exam Alone Wearing PPE Kit in Rajasthan.

"The BSL-2 laboratories for RT-PCR testing will be established in every district which will be helpful in the fight against COVID-19 and other vector-borne diseases," it said.

Adityanath said deaths due to vector-borne diseases in 2020 have registered a decline by 95 per cent compared to 2016.

(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)