BARA: Owing to the lack of Viral Transport Medium, testing of COVID-19 through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method has been affected in Bara district, of late. VTMs are used to collect throat swab samples which makes the testing procedure effective and convenient. 'With the lack of VTM, we are unable to collect samples of persons staying in quarantine facilities in the district,' said the COVID-19 district focal person Shankar Prasad Gupta. Around 500 people have been quarantined at sixteen different places across the district. However, specimen of only half of the total persons in quarantine have been collected for testing due to inadequate number of kits required for PCR testing. The matter does not end here, because of the delay in collection, the results of the collected samples would also come late as well, Gupta shared. Those persons diagnosed with Covid-19 have been shifted to COVID-19 Special Hospital at Educational Training Centre in Gangapur of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City-3 in the district. And those whose test results have come out negative, have been handed over to their respective family members, according to Gupta. So far, 84 positive cases have been detected in the district of which 52 have recovered from the virus and 33 others including three females are under observation, in isolation. One person has succumbed to the contagion in the district.