Navi Mumbai: Test positivity rate drops to 1 per cent, category-wise testing to monitor infection

Apart from malls and PHCs, the NMMC is testing people at railway stations and APMC market

With consistent curbs over time, Navi Mumbai reported 65 new Covid-19 cases and recorded a test positivity rate (TPR) of 1 per cent on Monday, a first for a city in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). For two days before that, the rate had climbed down even below one.

Citizens get tested at malls over the weekend in Navi Mumbai

With the second Covid-19 wave receding in the state and many districts and cities being allowed relaxations, Navi Mumbai was categorised in Level 2 as its TPR was below 5 per cent and its oxygen bed occupancy was below 25 per cent.

With testing and contact tracing, the TPR has been falling down. On Monday, the city's active cases stood at 1,129.

"The TPR going below 1 per cent is a really good development for us. For the past couple of days, it has been 0.99 per cent and 0.98 per cent. We haven't reduced testing and are using antigen and RT-PCR tests skilfully to tackle the spread," said an officer from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), on condition of anonymity.

"If this trend continues for a week, we will be able to go to Level 1. But, a decision to change the restrictions will be made considering the response of citizens," he added. To keep eye on the infection and TPR, the NMMC's health department has created various categories for testing. Apart from Urban Health Centres (UHC), testing will be done at malls, railway stations and APMC. The categories will be monitored for a rise in positivity rate.

Seventeen +ve at malls

Over the weekend, the NMMC started antigen tests of people visiting malls. On June 12 and 13, 9,042 antigen tests were conducted across Navi Mumbai malls and 17 people were found positive. These positive cases then also underwent RT-PCR tests.

"The TPR has come down. Last week, the corporation's lab for the first time did not detect a single positive case. But this might give people a false sense of confidence. The testing at malls and other locations is giving us insights into the TPR among random citizens. In Europe, too, cases are rising. We, too, should not let our guard down. That's the only way to delay the third wave," said Abhijit Bangar, Municipal Commissioner, NMMC.