Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan dedicated the “COBAS 6800”, COVID-19 testing machine to the nation. The COBAS 6800 is the first such testing machine procured by the Government for testing COVID-19 cases and has been installed at the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi.
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About “COBAS 6800” testing machine:
The COBAS 6800 is a fully automated, high-end machine for performing RT-PCR tests for COVID-19. The machine will provide high-volume, and quality testing and will be able to test around 1200 samples in 24 hours.
This will help to increase the testing capacity in the country. The COBAS 6800 is a sophisticated machine enabled with robotics. This machine will help minimize the chance of contamination and the risk of contraction of the virus by healthcare professionals as the machine is operated remotely, with very little human intervention.
The machine has been placed at the NCDC because it requires a minimum BSL2+ containment level for testing, and cannot be placed at just any facility. COBAS 6800 can also reportedly detect other pathogens like Viral Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Mtb, Papilloma, CMV, Chlamadiya, Neiserreia, etc.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- National Centre for Disease Control Founded: 1909.
- National Centre for Disease Control Headquarters: New Delhi.
- National Centre for Disease Control Director: Sujeet Kumar.