City, which has been testing 7,500 people a day, seeks to double this; nine wards told to test 1,000 a day, while rest get a target of 400
A COVID testing camp at a municipal school near Jari Mari, Andheri Kurla Road on Tuesday. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
The city's civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal has ordered nine of the 24 wards to conduct 1,000 COVID-19 tests daily and the rest have been given a target of 400. Both targets are to be equally divided between antigen and RT-PCR tests. The order was given during a recent meeting with ward officials over video call.
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Mumbai's Test Positivity Rate (TPR) improved to 11.86 per cent in August from 18 per cent in July and 28 per cent in June. While the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended TPR is below 5 per cent, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended that it be below 10 per cent.
Residents of Ambedkar Nagar near Andheri Kurla Road get tested on Tuesday
Steps to increase testing comes after much criticism over limited access. On average, there were 4,408 tests conducted every day in June and the average number of daily patients was 1,296. Between August 1 and 16, daily tests have increased to 7,447 and the average number of patients has come down to 883. A large chunk of the testing is being done in private labs.
While many wards have set up centres for free antigen and RT-PCR testing, the challenge is to increase the volume. "The commissioner found the number of tests in some wards to be inadequate. Hence, he has given these targets," said a civic official who as present at the meeting.
New categories for tests
Corporators in the N ward have been asked to convince people about testing. "We have already started free testing. Now we are determined to do it on a large scale. People above 50 years, patients with co-morbidities, patients with influenza-like symptoms and high-risk contacts from sealed buildings and Containment Zones will get free testing at two centres in Ghatkopar," said Ajit Kumar Ambi, assistant commissioner, N ward. The categories mentioned by Ambi are the new BMC criteria for getting tested.
"We have started awareness programmes to encourage people to get tested. We will start more camps in Containment Zones with the help of local corporators," said Sandhya Nandedkar, assistant commissioner, R North ward.
Another ward officer from South Mumbai told mid-day, "People are hesitating to get tested. While residents in towers prefer private labs, slum-residents don't want to isolate and be out of work for 14 days in case they are infected."
Senior citizens aged above 60 years with co-morbidities and symptomatic citizens with negative results in antigen tests will be tested through the RT-PCR method too, said a ward officer from Western suburbs.
7,447
Average no. of daily tests between Aug 1 and 16
883
Average no. of daily positive patients in this period
Also Read: Even mild COVID-19 cases may provide lasting immunity, says Study
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