(AFP)
NEW DELHI: The focus of India’s Covid-19 testing strategy in the initial weeks of the pandemic on symptomatic foreign returnees helped detect the spreaders as more dispersed testing would have squandered limited resources and allowed many positive cases to remain undetected.
The lock down imposed as the numbers – though still low – began to double and triple in short periods of time helped slow down the incidence of the disease. The linear growth in cases remained slow through the March 24 to May 6 period by when cases climbed past the 50,000 mark. This interval helped the Centre and states significantly increase the bed capacity while doctors gained experience in dealing with the coronavirus.
“The numbers have risen considerably since unlock began but this has not overburdened the system. Specific problems relating to cities like Mumbai and Delhi and some others like Ahmedabad have been brought under control,” said a senior government source. States that have a high case load remain a concern but higher testing has led to better identification of hot spots and containment.
The testing capacity, given India’s population size, remains low but this is a hurdle that the Centre and states will have to work with, said the official, adding that containment and contact tracing were key elements to slowing down the pandemic.
The strategy seems to be paying some dividends as the positivity rate has declined from the high of 9% earlier this month and seems to stabilising though it needs to drop to 5% to meet WHO norms.
The number of labs has now touched 1,511 of which 983 are government as against just one at Pune in January.
