KARACHI: The Sindh health department got its third COVID-19 testing facility functional in the interior of Sindh, at the Civil Hospital, Larkana on May 8.

A communication of the department said that a bio-safety (level-3) laboratory has been prepared for the purpose where, initially, up to 200 tests will be conducted for coronavirus confirmation on a daily basis.

The capacity of the lab will increase to 350 tests after a week or so. Earlier, the health department was running one testing laboratory each at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Hospital, Hyderabad, and the Gambat Institute of Medical Science (GIMS), Sukkur, which had a total capacity of conducting 800 COVID tests daily, in addition to 15 such facilities or laboratories at Karachi, with a total capacity of 5,000 tests daily.

The new Larkana lab will start giving test results from May 9, said an official source, adding that a need for establishing the testing facility was being felt for long, particularly in the wake of increasing number of COVID-19 patients in Larkana and its neighbouring districts.

The number of COVID-19 positive cases has almost doubled (256) in a week time, with two deaths. Prior to the third CVID laboratory, it was learnt, sample of the suspected people were being sent to GIMS or labs in Karachi. The government is making efforts to get another testing facility at Shaheed Benazirabad soon.

A keen observer said that government should establish such testing centres in every district of Sindh on an emergent basis.

He opined that coronavirus cases were much more than the reported number, but not being reported as districts were short of logistics like testing kits, protective gear and trained human resource, while tests were being conducted in the highly suspected cases or those coming from international borders.

In the meantime, the COVID-19 testing summary, updated on May 7, revealed that Sindh presented 12% of the total positive testings across the country, with an average 3,213 tests per day.

According to the summary, Sindh was conducting 1,515 tests per million, against the country’s 1,148 tests per million–PNFS