Hyderabad:To give a boost to COVID-19 screening, the country's first mobile virology lab was inaugurated at the ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation) hospital here on Thursday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the lab online in the presence of Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao.
In its battle against the pandemic, the city-based Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had developed the lab which is capable of screening 1,000 samples at different locations.
Till now such mobile virology lab facilities existed only in developed countries.The bio safety, level three lab's features include self locking doors, negative pressure, high efficiency filters and ante room.
Mr Singh complimented the DRDO for developing the mobile lab which would play a crucial role in the testing positive coronavirus cases.
Listing out the various measures taken up by the TRS government to control the spread of the pandemic, Mr Rama Rao said that eight separate hospitals had been set up to undertake testing for COVID-19 cases in the state.
He said since the ongoing lockdown began, 88 lakh poor families had been supplied with free rice and cash in the state.
Two local companies--ICOMM, specialising in fabrication of shelters and "iClean" a turn key design and build company had built the mobile lab.(UNI)