By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: India has crossed a crucial milestone in the fight against COVID-19. In a landmark achievement, for the first time, a record number of more than 12 lakh COVID tests have been conducted in a single day.With 12,06,806 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative tests have crossed 6.36 crore (6,36,61,060).
This strongly demonstrates an exponential increase COVID-19 testing infrastructure in the country. The country’s testing capacities have multiplied manifold. From conducting merely 10,000 tests per day on 8th April, the daily average has crossed 12 lakhs on Sunday.The last one crore tests were conducted in merely 9 days.
Higher testing leads to early identification of positive cases, and timely & effective treatment. This eventually leads to lower mortality rate.As evidence has revealed, higher numbers of testing also subsequently result in lowered positivity rate. The sharp decline in daily positivity rate has demonstrated that the rate of spread of infection is being contained.
The Centre’s policies in context of COVID 19 are continuously evolving. Following on the heels of several measures to facilitate wider testing by the people, recently the Union Government has provided for the first time ‘Testing on Demand”. The States/UTs have also been given wider flexibilities to simplify modalities to enable higher levels of testing.
The Union Government has also allowed COVID-19 to be done on the prescription of any registered practitioner, and not exclusively a Government doctor. The Centre has strongly advised States/UTs to take immediate steps to facilitate testing at the earliest by enabling all qualified medical practitioners, including private practitioners, to prescribe COVID test to any individual fulfilling the criteria for testing as per ICMR guidelines.
Higher testing forms an integral part of CHASE THE VIRUS strategy which aims to catch every missing person to curb spread of the infection. States have been advised that all symptomatic negatives of Rapid Antigen Tests are mandatorily subjected to RT-PCR.Expanded diagnostic lab network and facilitation for easy testing across the country have given a sharp boost to the enhanced testing numbers.The Tests Per Million (TPM) have been boosted to 46,131.
India has performed remarkably on fulfilling WHO’s advise of 140 tests/day/ million population. In its Guidance Note on “Public Health Criteria to Adjust Public Health and Social Measures in the Context of COVID-19” WHO has advised this strategy. In another row of achievements, 35 States/UTs have crossed the advised number of tests.
A prominent determinant of the strengthened testing numbers is the steadily widening diagnostic lab network in the country. This has grown to 1773 labs today, including 1061 labs in the government sector and 712 private labs. These include:• Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: 902 (Govt: 475 + Private: 427)• TrueNat based testing labs: 746 (Govt: 552 + Private: 194)• CBNAAT based testing labs: 125 (Govt: 34 + Private: 91).
