09 October,2020 09:05 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Health workers collect swab samples from employees of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi on Thursday. PIC/AFP
Thirty-five states and Union territories in the country are performing more than 140 COVID-19 tests per day per million population, while 22 states and UTs have COVID-19 positivity rate less than the national average, the health ministry said on Thursday. The cumulative positivity rate stands at 8.19 per cent, it said. The national average of COVID-19 tests per day per million population is 865, the ministry said, asserting that the country has demonstrated an exponential increase in the COVID-19 testing infrastructure since January 2020.
"As evidence has revealed, higher number of testing on a sustained basis has aided in bringing down the positivity rate. The sharp decline in national cumulative positivity rate has demonstrated that the rate of spread of infection is being contained," the ministry underlined. The country's testing capacities have multiplied manifolds. More than 15 lakh samples can be tested every day, it said."India has performed remarkably on fulfilling WHO's advise of 140 tests/day/million population," the health ministry underscored.
"A total of 35 states/UTs have exceeded the advised number of tests. The national average of tests per day per million population stands at 865," it said.
With 11,94,321 tests conducted for detection of COVID-19 in a span of 24 hours, the cumulative tests in India have crossed 8.34 crore. Seven states and Union territories (UTs) have reported a positivity rate less than 5 per cent. This is a result of the successful 'test, track, trace, treat and technology' strategy of the central government effectively followed by states and UTs, it said. "The cumulative COVID-19 positivity rate is 8.19 per cent and is on a continuous decline," the ministry said.
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