Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar Inaugurates New BSL-3 Lab At UVAS

Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar inaugurated a new state-of-the-art Bio-safety Level-3 (BSL-3) 'Laboratory for Emerging Pathogens' at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) here on Tuesday

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Apr, 2020 ):Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar inaugurated a new state-of-the-art Bio-safety Level-3 (BSL-3) 'Laboratory for Emerging Pathogens' at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) here on Tuesday.

The Department of Microbiology of UVAS in collaboration with Pirbright Institute UK, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council UK and Zoonosis and Emerging Livestock Systems UK established the lab for research on and diagnosis of emerging pathogens, including coronavirus.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the Governor who is also Chancellor of the the university, said that testing of COVID-19 was the first and foremost requirement to understand its spread, epidemiology and treatment. Since, coronavirus was a novel virus, its testing facility must fulfill all scientific guidelines of safety, he stressed.

The governor appreciated the UVAS Vice Chancellor and his team for establishing the much-needed laboratory. He said that he was glad to see vice-chancellors of all universities to play leadership role in the time of coronavirus pandemic.

He assured the UVAS of his full support for further enhancing the scope of the laboratory. He also spoke about the importance of telemedicine and its benefits for health experts and general public. "Coronavirus is a big challenge and we will meet this challenge with collective efforts," he added.

UVAS VC Prof Dr Nasim Ahmad said: "Ever since, the closure of institutions due to coronavirus pandemic, we have been busy in developing hybrid system of teaching and learning based on a combination of online and offline communication with the students". He said the UVAS had initiated tele-veterinary services to provide clinical guidance to pet and other animal owners.

He said the BSL-3 would conduct training and research in the area of emerging pathogens under one health, adding that the laboratory was equipped with modern gadgets and would also conduct diagnosis of coronavirus. With the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, the UVAS established the lab on fast track basis, he added. The UVAS was working ona plan to start a video messaging programme on coronavirus with the slogan "CoronaSay Darna Nahi Nai, Samajhna Hai," he added.