H K Patil urges Karnataka government to scale-up testing

Senior Congress legislator H K Patil on Friday said the state would land in big trouble if the process of testing the people for Covid-19 and furnishing the reports was not expedited.

Speaking to media persons here, Patil said, "The testing rate in the state is low at 125 to 130 per 10 lakh population. The government should set up Covid-19 labs in all districts. This will help in streamlining the process of testing, getting reports and providing the timely treatment and thereby mitigate the virus spread."

Follow live updates on coronavirus

The Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) permission is necessary for setting up a Covid-19 lab. The chief minister should take personal interest and initiate a process to get the ICMR approval for the labs at the earliest, he said.