COVID-19 testing in Maharashtra has doubled, says Health Minister Rajesh Tope

The number of COVID-19 test laboratories in Maharashtra has increased to 103 and the count of tests per million in the state has now doubled, Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday.

According to an official statement here, Tope said that the number of government laboratories in Maharashtra now stands at 60, while the figure for private ones is 43.

Among these, Mumbai has 27 (12 government and 15 private ones) laboratories, while Pune has 22 (10 government and 12 private ones). From May 26 to June 20, the number of laboratories has increased by 30, the minister added.

Topesaid Maharashtra is testing 5,847 persons per million, higher than the national-level rate of 4,610, and double than its earlier figure. On March 9, when the first COVID-19 patient was reported in the state, the number of laboratories in the state was just two: one each in Mumbai and Pune.

The highest number of COVID-19 tests are being carried out in Maharashtra, the state worst-hit due to the pandemic in the country, the statement said.

It added that consistent efforts were made by the government to increase the number of tests over the past three months. Till Sunday, 7,73,865 samples were sent to the laboratories for testing for coronavirus. Of these, 1,32,075 samples were found to be positive, the statement said.

(Photo Credit for representation: PTI)