Amid concerns of the spread of the Delta Covid variant, India on Friday marked a major milestone by conducting 40 crore Covid-19 tests, so far.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India tested 35 crore Covid-19 samples till June 1 and the number rose to 40,18,11,892 on Friday. According to ICMR, on an average about 18 lakh tests were conducted across the country in the aftermath of the second Covid wave in June.
"This has been enabled by rapidly increasing testing infrastructure and capacity across the country. ICMR has been enhancing Covid-19 testing capability across the country by expanding and diversifying testing capacity by leveraging technology and facilitating innovation in affordable diagnostic kits," the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said in a statement.
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This development comes in the backdrop of India logging 48,698 new coronavirus infections and 1,183 new fatalities during the last 24 hours. With the latest addition, India’s total Covid caseload rose to 3,01,83,143 while the death toll surged to 3,94,493.
According to the Union health ministry data updated at 8 am today, India’s weekly Covid positivity rate declined to 2.97 per cent, while the number of active cases has further declined to 5,95,565 and now accounts for 1.97 per cent of the total infections.
Meanwhile, Prof Balram Bhargava, Director General, ICMR said exponential increase in testing has led to early identification, prompt isolation and effective treatment of Covid-19 cases across the country. These have eventually resulted in a sustained low fatality rate, he said.
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"This testing milestone is testimony to the fact that India has been successful in implementing the strategy of 5T approach 'Test, Track, Trace, Treat and use of Technology' efficiently, which will enable us to contain the spread of the pandemic," the statement quoted Bhargava as saying.
(With PTI inputs)
