New Delhi: Beginning with one test in January, 2020 through a single lab in Pune, India logged more than 3.5 crore cumulative tests on Sunday. Consistently testing more than eight lakh tests since the past six days, with 8,01,147 Covid-19 tests in the past 24 hours, the total has touched 3,52,92,220, a release of the Health and Family Welfare ministry said here.
Tests Per Million have got a boost recording 25,574 tests today as it is only through aggressive testing that the positive cases can be identified, their contacts tracked and promptly isolated, as well as the severe and critical patients provided the needed clinical treatment. The testing strategy also ensured a steady expansion of the national lab network. Today, with 983 labs in the government sector and 532 private labs, a total of 1,515 labs are providing comprehensive testing facilities to the people. These include 780 Real-Time RT PCR based testing labs: (458 Government and 322 private), 617 TrueNat based testing labs (491 Governmentand 126 private) and 118 CBNAAT based testing labs: (34 Government and 84 private).
The rise in the daily testing has been followed by decrease in the average daily positivity rate. The rising average daily tests during the past three weeks present a strong depiction of the progress made in enhancement of COVID-19 tests across the country. The steep rise in the testing is a result of effective implementation of the aggressive testing strategy of the Centre through a focussed and graded approach.