Nagaland's first COVID-19 testing lab gets ICMR nod

Kohima, May 14 () The first COVID-19 testing lab inNagaland has received the approval of the Indian Council ofMedical Research (ICMR), an official said on Thursday.

Samples from the state are at present being sent toAssam and Manipur for testing. However, Nagaland has notreported any COVID-19 case till date.

Approval received (for BSL-3) from ICMR based onvalidation of documentation and quality control test run,state Health Secretary Kesonyu Yhome told reporters.

The state government started the process for settingup the lab at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) on April17, while all protocols were completed on May 12 and documentsfor validation were sent to the ICMR on the same day,officials said.

A petition was filed at the Kohima bench of theGauhati High Court over no COVID-19 testing lab in the state,following which the court had framed timelines for setting upsuch labs.

So far, 891 samples were sent for testing, out ofwhich reports of 873 came back as negative, while resultsof the rest are awaited.

Officials said the lab is yet to begin testing due tothe unavailability of reagents an essential substance or acompound.

Testing of samples for COVID-19 can begin as soon asreagents are supplied by ICMR, Yhome said.

ICMR has not given any tentative date, he said,expressing hope that it would not be long.

Yhome also informed that civil works to set up theBSL-2 (Biosafety Lab) at the Christian Institute of HealthSciences in Dimapur are also in progress. NBSSOM SOM