Mobile testing units deployed to flatten spike in rural Karnataka

With the surge in cases in rural Karnataka continuing despite more than 15 days of restrictions, and with villagers not turning out to take the Covid-19 test, the is deploying mobile clinics to conduct tests at doorsteps of villagers.

Daily cases in the rest of Karnataka (other thanBengaluru Urban) has been hovering around the 23,000-mark for the past 15 days, while the number of positive cases in Bengaluru has dropped from over 20,000 to 9,000 in the same period.

To bring the pandemic under control in rural areas, the government has hit on the idea of widespread testing. Each of its mobile clinics will have a doctor, lab technician and nurse, besides Asha and anganwadi workers. They will visit every household in villages and conduct rapid antigen tests (RAT).