Punjab health minister inaugurates BSL-3 lab to boost Covid-19 testing capacity

LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid on Wednesday inaugurated a Bio-Safety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory at the Institute of Public Health.

According to the health department, the province now has seven functional labs with increased testing capacity.

Punjab Health Minister @Dr_YasminRashid inaugurated BSL-3 Lab at Institute of Public Health today. Punjab now has 7 functional labs with increased testing capacity.#PunjabFightsCorona @PSHDept @SHCMEHealth @PunjabReforms @GOPunjabPK pic.twitter.com/AcZbwlq2Z6

— Health Department Punjab (@HealthPunjabGov) April 29, 2020

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Speaking on the occasion, the minister said quarantine centres established across the province have the capacity to house 28,000 suspected Covid-19 patients. He said the government is trying hard to ramp up the province’s testing capacity.

The minister said every institution will have to play its role in the fight against the coronavirus.

She said the total number of people who have contracted the virus in the province has reached 5,730, of whom 1,380 have recuperated from the disease so far. As many as 75,000 tests have been conducted in the province till recently, she added.

Yasmin Rashid said the province is capable of conducting 4,000 to 5,000 tests a day.

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