Standalone buildings are being designated as quarantine facilities in Srinagar and Jammu for suspected coronavirus patients

The Government is in the process of designating standalone, spacious buildings as quarantine facilities in Srinagar and Jammu as part of preparation against coronavirus, while testing has been started in Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Government Medical Colleges Srinagar and Jammu.

All new samples taken from patients suspected of coronavirus will be tested locally now. On Sunday, Director General Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) informed J&K government that reagents had been supplied and healthcare professionals of the Institute had been imparted training.

Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department, Atal Dulloo said that SKIMS was ready to test new samples while GMC Jammu and Srinagar were being supplied reagents and could start training in a couple of days. “GoI has set up these three centers here to make coronavirus testing faster and efficient,” he said.

Yatri Nivas Jammu has been designated as a quarantine center, officer on special duty H&ME, Dr Shafqat Khan said. A similar facility, he said, was being identified for Kashmir division in Srinagar district. “District administration Srinagar has been communicated about the requirement and a building will soon be allocated for housing people who need to be quarantined,” he said. The facilities, an official said, will also house residents of J&K returning from Iran and other highly affected countries.

Currently, no sample reports are awaited in Kashmir, while four reports were still awaited in Jammu, he said.

The testing for coronavirus at SKIMS and other institutes will be carried out as per guidelines of ICMR. Prof Parvaiz Koul, head, department of medicine at SKIMS and influenza expert said a clinician will decide whether a patient requires testing, based on the symptoms. “Samples will be taken as per protocol and guidelines.

“Molecular diagnosis of nCOV (novel coronavirus 19) is done in the same manner as we do for other viruses at our labs. The samples would be taken in isolation, by healthcare providers wearing personal protection gear,” he said.

He said that only the labs that have been designated for the purpose can do the testing and it is only based on the test report that a patient can be diagnosed with coronavirus. “One cannot, based on symptoms alone, decide that a person has coronavirus infection,” he said.

Courtesy: Greater Kashmir