Image Source: INDIA TODAY

With the increase in numbers of novel coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, Mumbai got its first Covid-19 testing bus aimed at mass screening of people. The bus was inaugurated on Friday by Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope, Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray, along with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Praveen Pardesi at the National Sports Club of India in Worli via video conference. Equipped with a full-fledged coronavirus testing lab, the bus also has an x-ray examination facility. Other necessary equipment will also be made available soon. There will be a small chamber inside the bus where tests will be conducted. It is the first mobile Covid-19 testing bus for mass screening. It will be using a combination of O2 saturation, AI-based X-rays for detecting novel coronavirus, the BMC officials said. The Covid-19 testing bus is also equipped with RT-PCR swab collection facility and will visit various slum locations and help to effectively isolate the high-risk suspects, the BMC said. The Covid-19 testing bus has been made with the help of Krsnaa diagnostic and IIT Alumni council. With the help of Cloud Transform, the Radiology department experts and doctors will be able to trace the coronavirus patients easily now. The BMC is planning to design more such buses.