Now, vets to test samples

Jalandhar, August 4

Having conducted tests on livestock diseases, including FMD, glanders, swine flu and bird flu, veterinary experts at the Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (NRDDL), Jalandhar, have geared up to test samples of Covid-19.

The laboratory has got approval from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for testing SARS CoV-2 by the conventional RT-PCR method after getting satisfactory report reading competency and validation of test results. This would be the first laboratory in Doaba and fourth government lab in Punjab, which has been allowed to conduct tests.

A team of veterinarians — Dr Charanjeet Sarangal, Dr Gagandeep Bangar, Dr Gaurav Sharma, Dr Mukesh Mittal, Dr Deepak Bhatia and Dr Parveen Kumar — would be conducting tests.

Dr HS Kahlon, Joint Director, NRDDL, said, “We have subject matter specialists and well-established diagnostic labs related to microbiology, molecular biology, public health, pathology, epidemiology for animal diagnosis. Our scientists are aware of advance diagnostic tools. Now, the team has taken necessary training from Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot.” —TNS