Pune's Mylab creates India's 1st COVID-19 testing kit, 1 kit can test 100 patients

Pune: Amidst the coronavirus pandemic which has rocked the world, claiming 17,138 lives and infecting 392,159 people globally, the Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd has developed India's first indigenous COVID-19 testing kit, ANI reported on Tuesday.

The kit is likely to be approved by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and a single kit costs Rs 80,000 and can test 100 patients.

Ranjit Desai, Scientist at Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd, told ANI that they can produce 1 to 1.5 lakh test kits in a week and these cost 1/4th the price of their imported counterparts.

"We can produce 1 to 1.5 lakh tests in a week, we are trying to increase our production for the public. These kits cost 1/4th the price that the imported kits are being sold for," Desai said.

Meanwhile, 32 states and UTs have announced a complete lockdown in the entire state/UT covering 560 districts after the total number of positive cases rose to 446 as on March 24. 37 are cured/discharged/migrated cases and 9 deaths have been registered, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In Maharashtra, the number of positive cases of coronavirus rose to 107 after 5 from Mumbai and 1 from Ahemdnagar tested positive for the deadly virus.