Varanasi: Based on South Korean model of COVID-19 sample connection booth, a centre has been opened at the community health centre (CHC), Shivpur in Varanasi.
Made of glass panels and aluminum cabinet, the booth is manned by a technician for sample collection without any direct contact with a person being tested. It is insulated from inside, and a technician sits there to collect oral swab samples using two arm-length neoprene rubber gloves fitted to two cavities in the glass panel. There is also another healthcare worker sitting outside the booth to collect and label the sample. The person, who wats to get tested, needs just to walk to the booth. The technician sitting inside would collect the swab using the rubber gloves.
The chief development officer Mahusudan Nagaraj Hulgi said that as there is no direct contact, it is useful for the health personnel to stay safe from getting infected while collecting samples. The arrangement also reduces the requirement of masks, gloves and PPE kits, and also the number of health personnel required for sample collection.
