pune the maharashtra health department this week asked the staterun 105 laboratories to ramp up rtpcr testing against the backdrop of a possible third wave of covid19the government laboratories were told to test more samples now because its demand was currently less and be prepared for the next wave the advisory came following the states struggle to increase the average rtpcr testingsenior officials from the health department claimed that the government laboratories were still not testing enough despite having adequate facilities we have a capacity to carry out nearly two lakh tests daily but we are not seeing that number we need to ensure that the government laboratories increase their capacity by roping in more staffers and mobile vans to collect samples from interior regions said a public health officialofficials from the medical education department also stated that they had directed the officials to increase the rtpcr testing in all districts keeping in mind the third wave the public health department officials stressed that most districts would lag on the rtpcr testing front unless the government laboratories increased testingcurrently rapid antigen test rat is being significantly used in the interiors district collectors have to ensure that government laboratories operate at their maximum capacity to collect rtpcr test samples from farflung areas said another officialthe government laboratories authorities claimed that they were slowly ramping up the rtpcr test facilities by increasing the shifts they claimed that they had achieved 50 rtpcr testing in the state the staterun laboratories would slowly increase mobile sample collection vans for the interiors a representative of a state government laboratory saidthe health department said the antigen test count was still more than the rtpcr tests in many districts with the weekly positivity rate being assessed based on rtpcr tests all districts have been told to increase the number of gold standard tests to detect covid cases