KATHMANDU, NEPAL- shortage of kits for safely transporting specimens collected from suspected COVID-19 patients beign faced by hospitals and laboratories, reports The Himalayan Times.
Viral Transport Media (VTM) are the kits being used for transporting the nasal and throat swabs collected from suspected coronavirus patients across Nepal. Many of the specimen-collecting hospitals are facing shortage of VTM.
The swabs are being tested in 15 different laboratories across the country to confirm COVID-19. Prior to making the results public, cross-verification takes place at National Public Health Laboratory, Teku.
Using polymerase chain reaction method, so far 8,050 tests have been performed in total, with a frequency of about 190 per day.
The World Health Organization strongly recommends using VTM in instances where immediate testing cannot be done, as the samples can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celcius and prevents bacterial and fungal growth.
