CHITWAN: Bharatpur COVID-19 Lab operated by Bharatpur Hospital has been closed since Tuesday after reagent needed for the PCR test ran out of stock.

With this, samples collected in the lab for the test are being sent to Kathmandu. The lab stopped to carry out PCR test after reagent for the same ran out of stock on Monday, informed Dr Nitu Adhikari, Chief of the lab while adding that 325 samples have been sent at National Public Health Lab, Teku, on Tuesday. Dr Adhikari further said that they have been requesting for the reagent from the Ministry of Health and Population, Public Health Labs as well as other labs. Although Chitwan Medical College and BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital are also carrying out PCR test in the district, they charge for the test while Bharatpur Lab has been carrying out PCR test free of cost. The Bharatpur Lab has carried out over 25,000 PCR test so far.