Tripura gets mobile sample collection van

AGARTALA: The Tripura government has started the northeast’s the first mobile Covid-19 sample collection kiosk, which will collect random swab samples from people without any physical contact.
A three-wheeler heavy-duty auto-rickshaw has been converted into a kiosk van for this purpose, Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) commissioner Dr Sailesh Kumar Yadav said.
“The glass encasement will ease the requirement of wearing personal protection equipment (PPE) while collecting swab samples. The vehicle was designed and provided by AMC Smart City Project,” he said.
He said similar glass encasement was placed in Kerala in front of hospitals to collect Covid-19 samples. Tripura does not have any active Covid-19 patients as of now. Therefore, the vehicle can move across the region and collect random samples for tests, Yadav said.
He pointed out said five swab samples were collected on the first day by the mobile testing unit. The samples were collected from medical workers, including doctors and paramedical staff, who had treated the state’s two Covid-19 patients.
Appreciating the effort, chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb said, “Agartala Smart City has designed a mobile van for Covid-19 sample collection and handed it over to West Tripura chief medical officer. It will ensure the safety of health workers and prevent wastage of PPEs. The three-wheeler van can move easily even in narrow lanes while collecting samples.”