India conducts 11.72 lakh daily COVID-19 tests, health ministry says numbers one of highest in world

Cumulative tests for detection of COVID-19 rose to 4,55,09,380 in country with a record 11,72,179 tests being conducted on Wednesday, Union Health Ministry said underlining that India's daily testing numbers are one of highest in world.  Higher testing numbers subsequently result in lowered positivity rate, it said on Thursday.  

"India has witnessed an unprecedented surge in testing. Over 11.7 lakh tests were done in 24 hours," ministry said.   From conducting merely 10 tests per day on January 30, daily aver has crossed more than 11 lakh, ministry said, ding this demonstrates an exponential increase in daily COVID-19 testing in country.

"Such high levels of testing on a sustained basis over a period of time in widespre areas enables early diagsis, and in turn facilitates seamless isolation and effective hospitalisation. This eventually les to lower mortality rate.

"Higher numbers of testing also subsequently result in lowered positivity rate," ministry said.  India's COVID-19 case fatality rate due to disease has furr dropped to 1.75 per cent as on date, while national recovery rate has risen to 77.09 per cent.

re are 8,15,538 active cases of coronavirus infection in country which comprises 21.16 per cent of total caselo, data stated.  Asked about rapid antigen tests comprising a large chunk of total tests conducted w, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan at a press briefing on Thursday said that re is uniform picture across country on this.   In Tamil Nu, more than 90 per cent tests even today are RT-PCR tests while re are or states where RT-PCR testing, TrueNat and CBNAAT testing capacity is limited and refore in those states, if re are containment zones or buffer zones, one cant be satisfied with limited testing, he stressed.

ICMR's guidelines clearly lay down that rapid antigen tests are ideal screening tests for densely populated areas, for containment and buffer zones so why t use m re, he said.   "However, I  do mit re are states where optimal capacity of RT-PCR off late is t being utilised and we have in health ministry drawn attention of those states that y do have an installed capacity of conducting more RT-PCR tests and hence y need to scale it up," Bhushan said.

ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said that WHO has lauded India for use of rapid antigen tests in a calibrated and distributive manner.   surge in testing has been me possible by an equally speedy expansion in testing lab network across country. India has as on date 1,623 labs with 1,022 in government sector and 601 private labs, ministry said.    With a record single-day spike of 83,883 infections, India's COVID-19 caselo mounted to 38,53,406, while death toll climbed to 67,376 with 1,043 people succumbing to disease in a day, ministry's data updated at 8 am showed.