Amidst rapid developments in the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the corresponding measures being taken by the Indian authorities, the state of Kerala has launched Walk-in Sample Kiosk (WISK) for mass collection samples of COVID-19 testing.
As the health services department is finding it hard to procure enough Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits, Kerala’s Ernakulam district administration launched the six WISKs, which was first seen in South Korea, to keep health workers safe while taking samples to test for COVID-19.
For now, these will be located at each of the four hospitals in the district, which have isolation wards and testing facilities.
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A WISK is a mobile cubicle with a sealed glass front, and have extended gloves attached in the front, through which a medical practitioner standing in the cubicle can collect samples.
Even a swab can be collected without direct exposure and contact. After the swab collection, the gloves can be sanitised from outside. It takes less than two minutes for blood and swab sample collection.
Launching the WISK on Monday, said that similar technology was used in South Korea for mass sample collection.
“This will help us collect samples from a large number of people. There is no direct contact between the health worker and the person being tested while collecting the samples. It takes nearly Rs 40,000 to set up a WISK,” said District Collector S Suhas in reports.
With the increase of 704 COVID-19 cases and 28 deaths in the last 24 hours, the biggest rise so far in India, the number of positive COVID-19 cases has reached 4,281.