JOIN USAndhra Pradesh govt-owned AMTZ rolls out rapid COVID-19 test kits
Rapid testing kits began rolling out from the state-run Andhra Pradesh Medi-Tech Zone (AMTZ) as demand for these grew exponentially consequent to the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, the state government said on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy formally launched the kits at his camp office on Wednesday. AMTZ is an enterprise under the Andhra Pradesh government, dedicated for medical device manufacturing and the Indian Council of Medical Research has recently approved the kits to be manufactured at the zone in Visakhapatnam.
Special Chief Secretary (Industries and Commerce) Rajat Bhargava handed over the first set of 1,000 rapid testing kits, manufactured at the AMTZ, to his counterpart in the health department K S Jawahar Reddy in the presence of the Chief Minister and Industries Minister M Goutham Reddy.
Later, the Industries Minister told reporters that the AMTZ started manufacturing 2,000 testing kits per day and it would soon be scaled up to 25,000 units a week from next month. The Minister said about 20 tests could be carried out with each kit daily and would cost Rs 1,200 for the government. DNA, RNA, PCR tests could also be performed using these kits and the result obtained in 55 minutes.
From April 15, for the first time in the country, assembling of ventilators would also commence at the AMTZ, with an initial capacity of 3,000 per month. It would later be increased to 5,000 a month, Goutham Reddy added. The Central government has already placed an order for 3,500 ventilators, the Minister said.