Government fixes BIAL airport COVID tests rates

In the wake of Omicron virus variant , government of Karnataka is taking many precautionary steps to avoid the spread at the entry level . In one such initiatives , COVID test is mandatory for all passengers at Airport where travelers visit from across the world.

It is a mandate during this period , for all international travel passengers  at airport to undergo Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR)  specified COVID tests and carry a negative report . To cater to the passengers demands and convenience , provisions are made by government at Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) scaling up various equipment enabling faster test results. 

 

Government of Karnataka in its circular 7Dec21 HFW/335/PRS/2021 has fixed cost per test price of various COVID tests as below

• RT-PCR conventional test at Rs.500/-
• Abbott ID express test at Rs.3000/-
• Thermo fisher Accula express test at Rs.1500/-
• Tata MD 3 Gene Fast / Tata MDXF express test at Rs.1200/-
• Cephied Gene Expert at Rs.2750/-

Results of express tests will be available within a hour of sample collection.

COVID RTPCR Lab test prices home pickup services in Bangalore

List of all major COVID RTPCR lab test prices in Bengaluru . Most of the labs provide test reports within 2 to 3 working days with options of collecting swab from home.

•  Apollo Diagnostics

• Rs.800 for lab test
• Rs.600 for home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes 48 to 36 hours
  

• RV Metropolis

• Rs.800 for lab test
• Rs.1400 for home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes 48 to 36 hours 

• Orange Health 

• Rs.800 for lab test
• Rs.1200 for home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes 48 to 36 hours

• VFS Global
  

• Rs.800 for lab test
• Rs.1200 for home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes 48 to 36 hours

•  Medibuddy

• Rs.999 - home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes 48 to 36 hours

• RxDx Labs 

• Rs.1000 for lab test
• Rs.400 for home pickup within 5 km , post that Rs.25/km
  
• Report takes 24 to 36 hours
  

•  SRL Diagnostics
  

• Rs.950 for lab test
• Rs.1200 for home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes 24 to 48 hours 
  

•  The GeneLab
  

• Rs.800 for lab test
• Rs.1200 for home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes 24 to 48 hours
  

•  The 1mg Lab
  

• Rs.800 for lab test
• Rs.1200 for home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes 24 to 48 hours

• Apollo 247 Labs
  

• Rs.1300 for home pickup and lab test
  
• Report takes same day , 24 to 36 hours
  

•  Bangalore Airport
  

• Rapid PCR at Rs.3200/- report within 45 minutes
  
• RTPCR at Rs.800/-  report within 5 hours
• Rapid Antigen at Rs.500/- report within 45 minutes
• Advance booking allowed - http://aurigaresearch.in
  

How to arrange a COVID vaccination drive at your society

Keeping your loved ones , family , neighbors and society you live safer during a pandemic like COVID is of utmost importance. Vaccination provides the necessary elements to fight against the virus keeping us healthier. If you are in a society , you are safer only when the community around you is also safer . Vaccination of all members ensures your society is healthy and should be taken up with highest priority.

 

Below are few tips on how to arrange a vaccination drive at your society -

• Discuss the importance with your society friends , society committees - form a volunteer group - depending on the size of the community , form a volunteer committee for necessary activities co-ordination. For a community of 250 residents , a voluntary group of 10 members will be good to share the responsibilities. 
  

• Collect a survey of society residents - 
• How many need vaccine , how many are already vaccinated - Using survey options like google forms / over call / message groups , collect info on vaccine requirement .  
• Details such as Name , Gender , Age , Contact number , Any comorbidity , Occupation category , Number of vaccination doses already taken  - may be collected as government prioritize based on these categories.

• Check Government Stock Availability - Communicate the requirement with public health center health officer - They will share info on the stock availability and if not available share details how to partner with a private hospital and conduct the camp.

• Understand the protocol and standard procedures (SOP) to be followed for conducting a drive - read the SOP once . In Bangalore -
  
• It is required to have separate isolated minimum 3 separate spacious rooms i.e for Collecting applicant details , Vaccination Room , Waiting Room . Ambulance for any emergencies 
• Permissions from the Constituency Health Officer 
  

• Decide on the vaccine supplier  , collect the prerequisite information - Reach out to one or more vaccine suppliers such as hospitals , NGOs .  
• Collect details such as what is the vaccine cost , vaccine type , minimum number of bookings needed , registration procedure 
• How applicants get bills for their registration , eligibility categories and on which dates they have schedules available. 

• Fix a date , communicate  invitation to residents - try to have it over a weekend or public holiday if feasible so that many residents can join. Communicate clearly and completely.
  
• Date , Venue , Google map location , Timings 
• Vaccine Type , Age group , Eligibility criteria such as First dose / Second Dose / Any , Whether only for residents / open to their friends  also 
• What ID proofs and other documents if any they need to get at the venue
• Registration needed with cowin.gov.in , supplier portal registration 
• Etiquette such as mandatory Face masks at venue.
• Walk-in allowed or not.
  

• Take confirmed bookings - using the supplier registration utility or a google survey form / any other means , take confirmed bookings by collecting the vaccine charges in advance. This will help to make necessary arrangements reviewing the counts. Communicate the head count with some buffer of 10% to 15% extra to the supplier. Allocate time slots for member batches so that there is less less crowd and there is flow of visitors.

• Vaccination day arrangements
• Issuing a event invite pass
  
• Visitor Vehicle parking arrangements
  
• Tables , Chairs , Shelter , Storage arrangements for the vaccine supplier staff
  
• Food facilities for the vaccine supplier staff.
  
• Seating arrangements when in queue / waiting room / vaccination room
• Counters with clear nameplates / prints numbering  - for Inquiry , Registration , Tokens , Vaccination Room ,   Waiting Room with easy commute path. 
• Marking for members to stand in queue with physical distancing.
  
• Sanitizers at every counters
• Vaccine storage facilities
• Bins for consumables safe disposal
• Volunteers at every counter for guiding the visitors.
• Help those vaccinated to check their vaccine confirmation acknowledgments , certificates as needed.

Hope above tips are useful . Are you a volunteer who has participated in conducting such camps , do share your experience in the comments section.

COVID care cost estimate in multi-specialty hospital , Bangalore

Are you searching for how much expense it may incur for a COVID care center  hospitalization in a multi specialty private hospital in Bangalore. Here is one such information post which may help you -

 

The hospital cost breakup usually consists of below categories

• Admission charges - for initial paper work and registration charges.
  
• Medical supplies and consumables charges - for all the medical supplies , consumables like mask , gloves , disposable tool kits , injections etc
  
• Doctors consultation charges - for visiting doctors everyday.
  
• Lab charges - for reports such as Blood tests , RTPCR , CT scan etc
  
• Room and Nursing charges - Room rent and general nursing charges.
  
• Pharmacy - towards tablets and medicines post delivery

Cost Estimate

• For a 3 patient room share for 5 days as below -
• Room rent - Rs 10,000
• Procedure fee , doctor - Rs.9000
• IPD Fee , doctor - Rs. 10,000
• Nursing charges - Rs 11,500
• Medicines , consumables - Rs  22,500
• Laboratory investigations - Rs 10,500
• Radiology - Rs 8,000
• OT , Equipment , Surgical items (if needed) - Rs 23,000
• Other hospital charges - Rs 20,000

So from above its approx Rs 1,00,000 for a 5 day COVID care package at multi specialty hospital in Bangalore.

Dear Readers  - have you incurred similar expense during COVID care hospitalization , do share your experience in the comments section below.

Verify COVID vaccine certificate genuineness

Government of India through the cowin.gov.in portal issues a provisional certificate for each dose of vaccination taken. In the certificate a secure QR code is printed which can be used to review genuineness of the certificate , this can be used by authorities and corporate  to review the authenticity and genuineness of the certificate. Lets see how to do it.

Step 1 : Open COVID vaccination certiticate QR code verification website - verify.cowin.gov.in

 

 

Step 2 : Scan the QR code displayed in the COVID vaccination certificate . If the certificate is genuine it displays the details of the vaccination as below , else it displays as Invalid certificate