Pune Virologist Minal Bhosale Delivered India’s 1st COVID-19 Test Kit Hours Before Delivering Her Baby
The increasing number of COVID-19 casualties worldwide required nations to put their citizens under complete lockdown. And countries like Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, and several other countries have announced a mandatory home quarantine for their citizens. However, the top authorities of the WHO has stated that isolation is not enough.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We have an easy message for all countries, Test each and every suspected case.”
India tests around 6.8 per million COVID-19 positive cases, one of the lowest rates in the world as per The Economic Times. India’s 1st COVID-19 testing kit was developed by Virologist Minal Dakhave Bhosale, Research and Development chief, Mylab Discovery, Pune. The team named the kit as ‘Patho Detect’ and most notably the kit was developed in just 6 weeks.
Ms. Bhosale, you delivered not just the test kit and your baby , but you also delivered a ray of hope to the country. We stand and salute you… https://t.co/iqQgQvBzg3
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 28, 2020
Mylab Discovery shipped the first set of 150 testing kits to different labs in Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi, Goa, and Mumbai this week.
The company said it can supply up to 100,000 COVID-19 testing kits a week and if needed it can produce up to 200,000 kits.
The BBC reported that the development of the kit had not been the only deadline Minal was combating with. She started working with the testing kit in February, days after leaving the hospital with a pregnancy complication. The kit was submitted for examination to the National Institute of Virology on 18 March just a day before Minal’s delivery.
Minal said, ” It was an emergency, so I took this as a challenge. I have to serve my nation.” She further added that her team of 10 members worked really hard to make the project a success.
She submitted the proposal to the Indian FDA and the drugs control authority CDSCO for commercial approval just an hour before she was taken to hospital for her delivery.
The first Made-in-India COVID-19 testing kit hit the market on Thursday after obtaining the approval to make and sell the ‘Patho Detect’. It aims to increase the frequency of testing individuals with the signs and symptoms of the infection and ruling individuals with the infection. Minal said to Hindustan Times, “Our kit gives the result of diagnosis in two and a half hours while the imported kits take 6-7 hours to determine the result”.
Coronavirus: The woman behind India’s first testing kit- makes us all so proud to see women leading the way Congrats Mylab https://t.co/W1WnC8Knrm
— Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) March 28, 2020
India has given approvals to 15 private firms to readily sell the diagnostic kits based on licenses they have obtained in the US, European Union, and few other nations to increase the number of people being tested checked in the country.
The overall COVID-19 positive cases have reached 873. 78 people have been cured and discharged from the hospital. With individuals like Dr. Minal, who are giving their heart and soul to fight against the infection, its sure that we’ll have the ability to win the battle.
