BIRENDRANAGAR: Following a technical problem in a PCR machine, the testing of samples for Covid-19 infection has stopped in Surkhet – the headquarters of Karnali. The testing has come to a halt since Friday.
As the machine has stopped working, the collected swab samples have been kept in a freezer, according to the Public Health Directorate.
Speed up testing
“Even a technical team from Nepalgunj could not fix the problem,” said Om Acharya, coordinator at the Karnali Province Health Directorate, adding that the laboratory is coordinating with a technical team in Kathmandu to fix the problem.
Earlier, the lab was testing 300 samples every day. “As there is a problem in the PCR machine, swab samples have already started to pile up,” Acharya said.