Lucknow, Jun 23 (IANS): The King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow has become the only institute in the country to have tested the highest number of Covid samples from 2020 till date.

The medical university's microbiology department has conducted 20 lakh tests since February 2020 till Tuesday through RT-PCR testing.

Prof. Amita Jain, head of the microbiology department has also been granted the establishment of an advanced mycology diagnostic and research centre, by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday.

All research under the centre related to fungi, especially around mucormycosis -- black fungus -- an offshoot of Covid-19 will be done under the microbiology department.

"The mycology lab was already there but it was lacking in advanced technology. Now with it being an ICMR approved full-fledged centre, technology and machinery will be upgraded which will help us study the different aspects of fungi and diseases caused by it such as mucormycosis. The time taken to decipher the mechanism of the fungi and research for drugs to be used, will also be quicker than before," said Prof. Amita Jain.

"The 20 lakh tests of Covid-19 which were conducted by the microbiology department since February 2020, were possible because of the staff, lab technicians, scientists and research students of the department who got infected themselves but continued to work," said KGMU spokesperson Prof. Sudhir Singh.