Mumbai to set up 244 free COVID-19 testing centres

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started free COVID-19 testing at 244 centres in the city from Monday, officials said.

With this, the number of COVID-19 testing facilities in Mumbai, which is one of the worst affected by the pandemic, has gone up over 300, they said.

A person with COVID-19 symptoms can dial helpline number 1916 or visit the BMC's dedicated webpage 'http:topcoronavirus.mcgm.gov.in' for information about testing centres near their home, a BMC release on Sunday said.

The free COVID-19 testing facilities have been started at 244 locations in the BMC-run hospitals and dispensaries in the city, the release said.

The RT-PCR tests have been made available at some of these centres, while the antigen tests are available at the other facilities, it said.

Initially, these testing facilities are available on a 'walk-in' basis from 10 am to 12 noon, the BMC said.

"With this, citizens of Mumbai can easily and freely get their COVID-19 tests done," the release said.

The COVID-19 testing facilities are also available at 54 private pathology labs in the city at rates decided by the Maharashtra government, it said.

On Sunday, Mumbai reported 908 new COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths, taking the total number of positive cases in the metropolis to 2,58,405 and fatalities to 10,318, as per official figures.