Mumbai ups antigen tests three-fold to keep new COVID-19 strain at bay

A passenger gets screened and tested for novel Coronavirus on arrival at Borivli railway station on Thursday. Pics/Satej Shinde

In view of the new strain of novel Coronavirus that recently emerged in England, the civic body has increased mass testing in the city to keep the more contagious variant at bay. It conducted nearly 25,000 tests daily on Monday and Tuesday, against the daily average of close to 15,000 till December 20.

Commuters in face masks exit the Borivli railway station in large number on Thursday

The BMC has particularly increased antigen tests since Monday, when the country banned flights from the UK and the state imposed night curfew, following the recovery of the new Coronavirus strain.

Can-t take risk: BMC
As there is a fear that the new strain might have already entered the city, with many international passengers returning, the civic body doesn-t want to take any risk. With the officials targeting more and more frontline workers, and people in the risk groups, like vendors, shopkeepers, conductors, etc, the antigen tests have increased three-fold since Monday.

As of December 20, the city conducted an average of 14,729 tests, including 6,500 using the antigen method. "On Monday, the BMC carried out 22,654 tests, including 15,600 antigen tests. On Tuesday, the figure reached an all-time high of 25,138, including 16,600 antigen tests," said a civic official.

TPR dropped to 2.6
The test positivity rate TPR was 2.6 per cent on Monday and Tuesday, way below the December average of around 6 per cent. The TPR was 13 per cent in October.

The average number of tests in December was also the highest so far. In November, the civic body conducted an average of 12,442 tests daily, and 13,169 per day in October.

The BMC has also appealed to all the international passengers, who arrived in the city from the UK on and after November 25, to contact the war room in their respective wards for any information and advised them to get tested so as to eliminate any doubt.

6,500
Avg. no. of antigen tests conducted daily till Dec 20

16,000
Avg. no. of antigen tests done daily on Monday and Tuesday

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