Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday inaugurated a Mobile Virology Research and Diagnostics Laboratory (MVRDL), developed by DRDO in association with ESIC Hospital, Hyderabad and private industry.
Singh inaugurated the mobile virology laboratory through a video conference, and said the government has taken several timely decisions because of which the spread of COVID-19 in India is far less compared to many other countries.
The Defence minister appreciated the setting up of the Bio-Safety Level 2 and Level 3 lab in just 15 days, which usually takes about six months time.
He said the testing facility, which can process more than 1,000 samples in a day, will enhance India’s capabilities in fighting COVID19.
The minister lauded the armed forces for setting up of quarantine centres, providing healthcare facilities and evacuating Indian nationals from other countries.
The mobile lab will be helpful to carry out diagnosis of COVID19 and also virus culturing for drug screening, convalescent plasma derived therapy and comprehensive immune profiling of COVID19 patients, Singh said.
The lab can be positioned anywhere in the country, as per requirement, he said.