PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, Jan 14: A smear campaign is being carried out taking the inefficiency of the COBAS-6800 machine at RIMS. It reflected from a news article published in a vernacular daily suggesting that the kit required for testing has been exhausted which has lowered the number of Covid tests. It also said that the machine worth crores has been shut down and other machines are used for testing.
When Dr Manoj Kumar of the microbiology department was contacted, he said that the information is wrong and the machine is working at its full capacity.
“The COBAS-6800 machine at present is being used to detect the coronavirus but in future, it will be used for other purposes as well. It has the capacity to check 1100-1200 samples in a day,” Manoj said.
Manoj further said that a total of 1,498 samples were tested yesterday at RIMS in which 167 samples were detected positive.
“If the state-of-the-art COBAS-6800 would not have been functional, how could the samples be tested and results given out.
“At a time when the district administration is rigorously focusing on testing, medication and vaccination to end the wrath of covid infection in the district, such campaigns will confuse the people and harm the enthusiasm to fight against this pandemic,” a health expert said.
