ISLAMABAD: Future Trust and Opencell UK collaborated to launch the country’s first robot-operated COVID-19 testing laboratory in Islamabad in order to increase the country’s testing capacity for the novel coronavirus.
According to details, British High Commissioner Christian Turner inaugurated the robot-operated COVID-19 testing laboratory. The mobile laboratory can conduct over 2,000 coronavirus tests per day and it requires as little as six staff members to operate all the shifts.
The UK made mobile laboratory is a Biosafety Level 2 Plus facility built in accordance with ISO 15189 standards and is equipped to meet the requirements for high throughput Covid-19 RT-qPCR testing.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the British high commissioner lauded the initiative, saying that the laboratory was a vibrant example of a UK-Pakistan relationship built on people.
“UK is proud of having been at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 in its efforts to pursue a vaccine and its distribution internationally, as well as for providing development assistance to a broad spectrum of COVID-19 relief, through UK Aid, to Pakistan,” he added.
Later, taking to Twitter, British High Commissioner Christian Turner congratulated Special Assistant to Prime Minister on health Dr Faisal Sultan, Opencell UK and JS Group on the creation of the “best-automated lab in Pakistan”.
A technological collaboration between ???????? & ???????? to create the best automated lab in Pakistan, accelerating Covid testing. Mubarak to @OpenCellLondon @jsblpak @fslsltn #BeatThisTogether pic.twitter.com/mZFKJkPuTM
— Christian Turner (@CTurnerFCDO) November 11, 2020
