Karnataka to have 60 labs for COVID-19 by end of May

Seeking to ramp up its testing capacity for COVID-19, the Karnataka government propose to increase the number of labs in the state to 60 by this month-end as against existing 26, Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said on Friday.

The existing labs have a capacity to test about 5,000 samples a day, he said. "We have boosted our COVID10 testing capabilities. Gadag, Vijayapura & Tumakuru get their own COVID-19 testing labs. From just 2 in Feb, we now have 26 labs & capable of testing 5,000 per day. We will have 60 labs by end of May," Sudhakar tweeted.

As per health department data as of Thursday evening, a total of 60,156 samples have been tested in the state so far and 57,548 of them reported negative.

On Thursday alone, 4,752 samples were tested and 4,307 of them turned negative. The state's tally of COVID-19 cases stood at 576, including 22 deaths and 235 discharges.

(PTI photo for representation)