Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic is a serious issue causing innumerable human cases of pneumonia originated from Wuhan City, China and disseminated all over the world. Dr. Sushil Prabhakar, Registrar of the Varsity informed that Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana has stepped in to support and strengthen medical community through offering their services amid crisis of COVID-19. Ten scientists from GADVASU have been deputed in different Medical colleges of state to provide COVID-19 diagnostic facilities.
The situation of COVID 19 is alarming across the globe and Punjab is no exception. As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Punjab, 245 total confirmed cases and 16 total deaths have been reported as of on 21st April 2020. The state government has tested 6607 suspected individuals. Successful containment of this disease demands testing more and more suspected individuals. The World Health Organisation has recommended two diagnostic tests ‘Genesig Real-Time PCR Coronavirus’ (COVID-19) and ‘Cobas SARS-CoV-2 Qualitative’ (assay for use on the cobas® 6800/8800 Systems) for diagnosing this disease. However, the capacity, capability and expertise required to conduct these diagnostic tests is quite limited in the state. These diagnostic tests are ticklish and could not be conducted in many of the medical laboratories operating in the Punjab state.
Under such situation and emergency, besides providing two Real-Time PCR testing machines, the Veterinary varsity has also trained medical support staff in conducting these diagnostic tests. GADVASU is equipped with well-established Research labs in the field of Animal Biotechnology, Virology, Cell Culture and Disease Epidemiology. GADVASU have standardised the testing facilities and it routinely undertakes these sophisticated tests for Livestock, Poultry, and Fisheries that is the reason why GADVASU is Ranked number One state Veterinary University of the country.
Drs Rajnish Sharma, Mudit Chandra, JS Arora, Neeraj Singh, Harsh Pawar and Omar Khaleel Baba have joined duty at Medical College, Patiala, while Drs Mohan Jairath, Deepali, Jaspreet Kaur and Ms Astha Sharma for Medical College, Amritsar as COVID warriors. Dr. A.S. Nanda, Vice-Chancellor, GADVASU further informed that the university epidemiologists are modelling COVID–19 disease scenario in the country and we are hopeful to come out with COVID–19 containment plans at the National level in a short span of time. It is a matter of pride and honour for the farm university to shoulder responsibility in such testing time for the state and country said Dr Nanda.
