Most of the active Covid-19 cases in the country are largely being reported by a few states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu NEW DELHI: With the spike in Covid and influenza cases across the country, the Central government has directed all the states and union territories to accelerate the pace of Covid-19 testing as a declining trend has been noticed in some states.
In a joint advisory issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and health ministry, “ln the past several weeks, in some states Covid-19 testing has declined & the current testing levels are insufficient as compared to the standards prescribed by WHO i.e., 140 tests/million.
Testing at the level of districts and blocks also varies, with some states heavily relying on the less sensitive rapid antigen tests.
Hence, it is critical to maintain optimum testing for Covid-19, equitably distributed with suitable modifications to address emergence of new cluster of Covid cases across the states.