After Delhi, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Spice Health have come up with mobile RT-PCR lab for COVID-19 testing in Mumbai.
The results of the test will be out within 24 hours and the cost of this test will be just Rs 499.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the portable lab on Friday.
Mumbai will have three jumbo centres at BKC, Goregaon and Ghatkopar.
RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests have been the most sought after tests to check for COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic in India. Many specialists consider it to be the most effective test to detect the COVID-19 virus in human cells.
In this test, a small amount of DNA is taken through a swab from the test candidate, which is then used to amplify specific sequences of the genetic material and diagnose if there is an infection. The swab can either be nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal, which means it can be sampled from both the nose and the throat.
This sample is then sent for the RT-PCR test, which includes many steps to convert the RNA into viral DNA. This test is specific to check for COVID-19 infection alone. If a person tests positive, it means that they have COVID-19.
India`s total COVID-19 active caseload has seen a sharp decline, falling to 1,35,926 on Friday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
According to the health ministry, the total positive cases of the country now comprise only 1.25 percent of the total cases. The day on day change of active cases in the last few weeks shows a consistent decline.
The distribution of new cases in India in the last 24 hours shows a positive picture with only one state reporting over 1000 cases while the rest of the states and UTs have reported less than 1000 new cases.
