Amid a sudden surge in Covid-19 infections across the country, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has decided to resume testing at hospitals, although on a limited scale for now.
Md Halimur Rashid, line director at the Communicable Disease Control (CDC) wing of the DGHS, shared the development on Wednesday.
He said that initially testing will resume only at medical colleges and district hospitals that have RT-PCR laboratories.
Last Thursday, a Covid-19-related death was reported—the first in recent times.
Although the rise in infections is not yet considered alarming, public health experts are recommending the resumption of testing and vaccination to prevent a potential wider outbreak.
Halimur added that the testing system is expected to be fully operational again within the next 10 days.
Initially, RT-PCR testing will be available at Dhaka Medical College, Mugda General Hospital, Chittagong Medical College, and hospitals in the divisional cities of Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, and Mymensingh.
Only hospitals already equipped with RT-PCR labs will be included in this phase.
