PANAJI
The state government on Tuesday capped the Covid testing rate charges to maximum Rs 500 from conventional RT-PCR using any open ended systems and Rs 250 for Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) using lateral flow immune chromatography.
Order to this effect has been issued by Under Secretary (Health-II), Gautami Parmekar.
Parmekar issued the order in supersession of all previous orders about capping of rates thereby bringing the new capped rates into force from Tuesday.
The rate for Covid tests on arrival at the Goa International Airport for international arrivals have been exempted from the order and will remain fixed at Rs 1,500.
While the daily positivity rate skyrocketed to 30.36 per cent, Goa’s cumulative Covid death toll has risen to 3,537.
A total of 27 patients were admitted to the hospital for the disease.
It may be recalled that towards the end of December 2021, Trinamool Congress leaders Luizinho Faleiro and Derek O’Brien had tested positive for Covid.
Earlier this week, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar also received a positive Covid report and requested all those who had come in contact with him to get tested.
Covid graph shoots up, 2.4k cases, 4 deaths
PANAJI: On Tuesday, the Directorate of Health Services recorded 2,476 new cases of Covid from among the 8,154 samples tested in the last 24 hours. Four Covid related deaths were recorded simultaneously. Goa’s active Covid tally now stands at 12,019.
Ajgaonkar tests + ve for Covid
PANAJI: In yet another instance showcasing the risks of political campaigning, Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Babu alias Manohar Ajgaonkar tested positive for Covid. Ajgaonkar, who has been eyeing the Margao constituency seat recently, has been on a busy campaign trail throughout the last week.
