HETAUDA: The Hetauda based Viral Disease Research and Training Center which has been functioning as the lab for PCR test against novel coronavirus, has stalled the service on Sunday due to the lack of PCR kit required to carry out the test.
According to the lab sources, the 4 PCR kits sent by National Public Health Laboratory Kathmandu last week are used up leading the most sought PCR test to a halt since Saturday afternoon.
The COVID-19 lab set up at the Viral Disease Research and Training Center had started the PCR test from Mar 31.
The swab test report of the Province Ministers, lawmakers, medics and the health staffs collected on Saturday has not come yet.
According to the Ministry for Social Development of Province 3, the scarcity of kits has led to the stall of the test service till Sunday evening.
“We have requested the National Public Health Laboratory to provide 1000 kits at the earliest,” Purushottam Raj Sedhain, the spokesperson at the Ministry said, “they will arrive by Sunday evening.”
The lab had received the 12 swab reports on Saturday.
The Viral Disease Research and Training Centre, Hetauda which hosts a laboratory equipped to conduct Polymerase Chain Reaction tests was established five years ago to study viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.
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