In Tamil Nadu, vans to collect COVID-19 samples from patients' doorstep

First came sample collection kiosks, and now it is mobile COVID-19 testing vans. For the first time, two districts in Tamil Nadu have launched mobile testing centres to collect samples from potential coronavirus patients at their doorstep.

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The mobile sample collection vans launched by Thoothukudi and newly-formed Kallakurichi districts would save time and energy of both patients and lab technicians as the vehicle can be taken to any remote part, especially in containment zones, without much difficulty.

While Tiruppur, the knitwear cluster, was the first to launch a sample collection kiosk at the Government Hospital, Thoothukudi, known as South India’s Pearl City, and Kallakurichi have gone one step ahead by setting up a sample collection centre inside vans.

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Thoothukudi District Collector Sandeep Nanduri told DH that the mobile sample collection centre will be useful for testing potential secondary contacts of positive patients in the containment zones. The van has been modified to protect the privacy of people whose samples are collected.

“These vans are quite helpful in reaching the entire district. The idea was to ensure the whole district is covered and the patient’s privacy is protected. He will get into the vehicle to give his samples as some may not like giving it in the open like in a kiosk,” Nanduri said.

Since Thoothukudi has seven containment zones spread across the district and kiosks cannot be set up everywhere, the mobile kiosk can be taken anywhere, he said.

Explaining the process of sample collection from the specially-modified van, Nanduri said the lab technician is completely protected inside the mobile collection centre and will not have contact even with the driver.

“The lab technician doesn’t even need any personal protective equipment (PPE) as the mobile collection centre itself comes with all needed protection. Once the sample is collected, he will have to just drop the sample into the box that has been providing for storing them,” he said, adding that the van was used to lift samples of 46 people on Saturday alone.

Increasing the number of sample collection kiosks

While Thoothukudi has gone for a mobile sample collection method, neighbouring Tirunelveli has set up a kiosk at the government medical college. Similar kiosks have come up in Stanley Medical College in Chennai, while the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has opened a few booths in its jurisdiction.

“Walk in testing kiosk has been set across medical colleges in Tamil Nadu for easier testing and saving PPE’s too for RT-PCR of throat swabs. We have given instructions to other government medical college hospitals to set up such kiosks. Also, districts like Thoothukudi and Kallakurichi have gone for mobile kiosks,” K Senthil Raj, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, told DH.

The Tiruppur sample collection kiosk was different from the one set up in Kerala on the lines of those in South Korea. This model has two kiosks -- clinical and sample collection – patients are first screened and sent to the second kiosk for testing only if the medical team concludes that their symptoms are related to Coronavirus.

“In a country like ours, we cannot have direct testing kiosks because of the population. So, we decided to have a screening kiosk where people will first be checked to ascertain whether they need a test,” Tiruppur District Collector Dr K Vijayakarthikeyan told DH.