The state Covid task force may have recommended about 1 lakh tests a day in Mumbai amid the raging third wave, but it’s becoming an uphill task for the city’s private laboratories to handle the sudden surge in samples. Though it’s binding on the labs to give the report in 24 hours, many of them have been warning people of a waiting time of up to 48 hours. Overburdened with calls for tests, private laboratories have now started giving preferences to serious patients and people flying abroad.

“We suddenly have to deal with much larger volumes of calls, collections, testing, etc. without no time to get ready. All healthcare institutions try their best to meet expectations, but sometimes there can be delays till teams get ready. The government understands this. From Metropolis, we are doing our best to take utmost care of patients and comply with the rules and regulations laid by the government,” said Ameera Shah, promoter and MD, Metropolis Healthcare. A ward-level medical officer said a few citizens call them to complain about not getting the results within 24 hours—between swab collection and release of the report. He said negative reports may come early as the labs do not need to inform the BMC before sending it to the individual.