Record number of samples tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday: ICMR officials

 More than 3.2 lakh samples were tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday,  highest so far on a day, taking cumulative number of tests conducted in country till July 14 to 1,24,12,664, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) officials said.

According to Union Health Ministry,  testing per million for India is consistently rising and has touched 8994.7 on Wednesday.   "A cumulative total of 1,24,12,664 samples have been tested up to July 14. A total of 3,20,161 samples were tested on Tuesday, highest so far conducted in a day," Scientist and media coordinator at ICMR, Dr Lokesh Sharma, said.

per day testing capacity, which was around 1.5 lakh on May 25, is nearly four lakh per day now, Sharma informed.   India registered a record single day jump of 29,429 COVID-19 cases pushing its tally to 9,36,181 on Wednesday, while death toll climbed to 24,309 with 582 new fatalities, according to Health Ministry data.     WHO in its Guidance Note on “Public Health Criteria to just Public Health and Social Measures in Context of COVID-19” has vised comprehensive surveillance and testing for suspected cases.  While explaining concept of comprehensive surveillance and testing of suspect cases, WHO vised that a country needs to conduct 140 tests per day per million population, ministry said.

As many as 22 states are doing more than 140 COVID-19 tests per day per million in line with  comprehensive testing guidance note by WHO, said Health Ministry, while vising remaining states and UTs to increase testing to match WHO vised levels, ministry said.  One of factors strongly aiding increasing numbers of COVID-19 tests in country is steily growing network of labs for testing of COVID-19. With 865 labs in government sector and 358 private labs, total number of testing labs is 1223, as on date.  In dition to gold standard for test, RT PCR, TrueNat and CBNAAT are also used to augment this facility, it said.  expansion of laboratory capacity has seen exponential increase from one lab in January 2020 to 121 labs in March 2020 and to 1223 labs today, ministry said.

Among states and UTs, Goa tops list with 1,058 tests per day per million people followed by Delhi with 978, Tamil Nu with 563, Assam with 310, Karnataka 297, Mhya Presh 249, Jharkhand 242, Rajasthan 235, Maharashtra 198 tests per day per million population respectively.