Andhra Pradesh company starts production of indigenous COVID-19 testing kits

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday launched the indigenous COVID-19 testing kits at his camp office. With this, the manufacturing of the kits started in the state by Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), Visakhapatnam.

Industries and Commerce Minister Mekapati Gautam Reddy informed that 2,000 testing kits can be manufactured per day. The capacity will be increased to 25,000 kits per day, he added.

Gautam Reddy explained that these kits are 100 per cent accurate as well as cost-effective. Indigenous production brought the kit's cost to almost one-third of the existing price -- from around Rs 4500 to almost Rs 1200. The ICMR has approved the kits.

Industries Minister Gautam Reddy and Special Chief Secretary Industries Rajat Bhargava said that the CM had asked for industrial manufacture of COVID-19 testing kits and the concept has been realized in just 35 days. The state of Andhra Pradesh has ordered for one lakh kits, and orders are received for another one and half lakh kits from other states.

They further said that AMTZ will start the production of ventilators too. AMTZ will start producing 3,000 ventilators from April 15, 2020; and gradually scale it up to 6,000 units per month from May 2020. The central government has already placed an order for 3,500 ventilators and assembling of the units will start from April 15, 2020. For this, six compes have been selected in the first phase.

The state Industries and Commerce Department has donated 1,000 COVID-19 kits and 10,000 litres of hand stizers worth Rs 10 lakh to the state government as a token of support.

( With inputs from ANI )