The Bengal government has asked all districts to increase Covid-19 detection through pool tests among asymptomatic persons even in areas where there has been no report of infection.

Pool test is the method where five samples are mixed and tested with a single kit. The method is used to test maximum number of samples using minimum number of kits.

“If we collect a hundred samples, the testing laboratories will need only 20 kits to test all of them in groups of five. If the result of any group is found positive, then all the five’s samples will be tested,” a health official said.

Senior health officials headed by director of health services Ajay Chakraborty and health secretary Vivek Kumar held a video-conference with district magistrates and chief medical officers of various districts where the decision to increase the tests was conveyed.

“Samples of symptomatic persons will be tested separately as usual. But those who have minimum symptoms or influenza like illness swabs will be sent for pool test,” said a senior health department official.

The samples will be collected from patients at hospitals and those frequenting markets and slums in towns and villages.

Samples collected in Birbhum will be sent to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital and those in Burdwan to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED).

“We are collecting samples from various areas from Monday. Our target areas are hospitals, quarantine centres and a few villages and towns with dense population,” said CMOH, Birbhum, Himadri Ari.

“We would start pool tests soon,” said Pranab Roy, the East Burdwan CMOH.