With 34 cases in 24 hours, Karnataka starts mobile testing

With 35 people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in less than 24 hours, Karnataka on Thursday launched a mobile covid-19 testing kiosk.

It allows for swift collection and testing in covid-19 clusters, eradicating the need for at-risk persons to visit the nearest hospital or clinic. The 6.5ft tall booth is made of aluminium and acrylic glass, both known to be resistant to the coronavirus. Resembling a telephone booth, it can be mounted on a mini-truck, which can be parked anywhere.

“At these kiosks, individuals queuing for tests and healthcare workers will adhere to government social distancing norms,” said Karnataka chief minister B S Yedyurappa while launching the kiosk. “Just one person will be involved in the entire collection procedure. The collection procedure is simple, straightforward, swift and seamless,” he said.

An individual stands at the glass partition, and the healthcare worker inside the booth collects swab samples from the individual. A public address system will provide simple instructions for the individual for entry and exit. The collection process, fully contactless, is done in five minutes. The samples are then taken to the nearest covid-19 lab for further investigation.

Mantra e-ventures, a startup based in Bengaluru, developed the testing kiosk, in association with Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya.

Dr U.S. Vishal Rao, member of the covid-19 consultative group for the Karnataka government mentored the project, while Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences will provide assistance in scaling up operations using its network of colleges and hospitals for the testing.