In the wake of increasing number of COVID-19 cases in India, the sampling and testing of coronavirus has turns out to be very crucial in the country. At present by seeing this matter in consideration, Kerala has set up a walk-in Covid sample collection kiosk, located at the Ernakulam medical college hospital.
Kerala sets up sample collection kiosk for coronavirus testing
The walk-in sample kiosk (WISK) is the first such sampling collection technique used in the country. It is a mobile cubicle with heavy vacuum-packed glass front, which is going to have an extended glove that has been attached to the front of the glass. A medical practitioner, who is standing inside the cubicle, is going to be able to collect the swab samples with the help of those this glove deprived of exposing himself to the patients.
Ernakulam district collector S Suhas said in a recent statement that these kiosks are going to be set up in all the four dedicated Covid-19 hospitals located in the district. In addition, a safer method for collecting the swab samples, Suhas said it is going to help in accelerating the testing procedure.
Soon after a medical practitioner collects the swab sample, the gloves can be sanitized from the outside as well as the practitioner is not going to have to change the heavy personal protection equipment (PPE) after seeing or taking samples from each and every patient.
Dr A S Anoop Kumar, who is the head of the critical care unit in Baby Memorial Hospital in Kozhikkod, said, “We need more such kiosks in Kerala. It is going to help in conducting more tests. It will also lessen the growing demand for PPE kits which we will need if we enter the state of community spread.”
He further added, These kiosks are also going to encourage suspected patients for getting in and take tests quickly without undergoing rigours in the hospital,”
Every kiosk is likely to cost about Rs 40,000 and at least 40-50 samples can also be taken in about an hour.
The state health department on the other hand, also said that it is going to set up more such kiosks, especially in some of the areas which are worst-affected from coronavirus disease after measuring its success.
However, the model of the kiosk testing is mainly based on the similar kind of tests which were held in South Kerala. In addition to that, the model has also helped the nation to contain the spread of the disease. After this, the World Health Organisation had also urged all the nations to imitate the model as well.
