Agra, Sep 17 (IANS): Lack of adequate Covid-19 testing facilities is causing an avoidable delay in the treatment of patients even as queues continue to lengthen at the district hospital and the S. N.Medical College for sample collection centres.

"People have to wait for hours for their turn, fill up forms and then keep returning for reports which also is a time-consuming exercise," family members of patients said at the sample collection centre in the district hospital.

Many want the private hospitals to be allowed to do the testing. "If the government centres cannot cope with the sudden surge, they should allow private intervention," say the sufferers.

The testing facilities in the private laboratories have been suspended. Treatment of patients for the non-Covid problems cannot begin without a report from the government testing centres. This is causing a lot of resentment among the locals.

In the past 24 hours, Agra reported 110 fresh cases. The total now is 4,377 Covid-19 cases. So far 3,448 have recovered, says District Magistrate P. N.Singh. The number of active cases is 813.

With several staffers testing positive, the Agra Municipal Corporation office is being thoroughly sanitised. This has affected attendance. The Civil Court will remain closed for three days for sanitation.

The spurt in critical cases in the past few days has necessitated an increase in the number of beds in the Covid ward. The S. N.Medical College has added 34 beds in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

More than 225 medical teams of the health department have been put on the job to provide counselling and treatment in various localities.