COVID-19: Phone booth sample collection centre introduced in Jharkhand

In a bid to ensure safety of health workers, the West Singhbhum administration in Jharkhand has introduced an innovative portable unit for collecting samples from suspected coronavirus-infected persons, an official said.

The unit looks like a public telephone booth and will reduce manpower needed for collecting samples for coronavirus tests, he said. “The phone booth COVID-19 sample collection centre is a unique, low-cost and portable unit. It ensures safety of health workers while collecting sample from a suspected patient,” the official said.

The sample collection kiosk can be mounted on a vehicle and transported to any location, he said. The model can also be useful for collecting samples in COVID-19 hotspots and border checkpoints, the official said, adding that each model costs about Rs 15,000-20,000.

The structure of the centre is “just like a phone booth” consisting of a small cubicle along with personal protective equipment such as gloves for a health worker and kit for collecting samples. Explaining how the centre will function, the official said a person standing in a queue will be asked to come close to the kiosk and follow the instruction given through a public address system for collection of his or her swab sample.

A health worker equipped with personal protective gears stands inside the kisok and collects the sample and then, follows the sanitisation process before taking next
sample. “It requires less health staff for sample collection and strictly follows the principle of social distancing,” a statement said.