COVID-19: MP to get 50,000 rapid test kits from China as Indore records 47 deaths

Madhya Pradesh will receive 50,000 rapid test kits from China to increase COVID-19 detection as it emerges as the worst-hit states in the country. Indore has recorded the highest death rate due to the disease. 

Additional chief secretary (health) Mohammed Suleman said that Madhya Pradesh will become the first state to get the kits from Chinese imports because of the situation in Indore. The Centre is said to begin distribution of kits from Friday.

So far, the total number of positive cases in the large city stands at 707, while the death toll has risen to 47. In all, Madhya Pradesh has recorded 1,164 cases with 63 fatalities. While Indore has caught the attention due to its high mortality rate, the State government said that the city’s testing rate is at 2,100 per million, which is one of the highest in the country.

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Samples sent to Delhi

As of date, Indore has collected 5,120 samples for COVID-19 testing and had to arrange a special plane to Delhi, carrying 1,142 samples to clear the huge backlog. Bhopal, which collected nearly 2,500 samples in the last two days, is also sending samples to Delhi to clear the backlog. A plane operated by the State Government will carry 1,400 samples to Delhi on Friday.

Meanwhile, the number of infected State Health Department officials and those associated with them surged to 95 on Thursday, which makes up nearly half the number of positive cases from Bhopal.

Cracking down on the rampant spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), CM Shivraj Chouhan, on Thursday, said that a probe has been initiated to find how 2 IAS officers led to 90 state health officials in Bhopal testing positive. He added that as of March 23 - the day Chouhan was sworn as Chief Minister, there were no testing labs. He added that since then, the government had set up several labs and 1,200 samples were being tested each day.

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