12-04-2020, 04:09 AM
Coronavirus: Is India's test and tracing strategy working?
![[图: _115750753_gettyimages-1229764604.jpg]](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/8B79/production/_115750753_gettyimages-1229764604.jpg)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on the country's worst-affected states to give top priority to testing and contact
tracing to combat coronavirus.
Daily cases in India have been falling since mid-September, but there's concern that varied testing strategies may be hindering
the battle against the disease.
What type of testing is India doing?
India had been using the what's known as a PCR test - regarded as the gold standard of testing - very widely.
But currently, only 60% of all tests use this method, and many Indian states - who are in charge of their own health policies -
have switched to rapid antigen testing (RAT), a faster but less reliable method.
RAT tests are known to miss up to 50% of cases due to false negatives (where infected people are not detected),
although some experts believe they are still useful in areas which have become virus hotspots.
Is testing consistent across the country?
No, it's not.
Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in India, with 17% of all cases.
In terms of total coronavirus cases, it's followed by states with significantly smaller populations such as Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
But Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - two other states with large populations - appear to be doing much better.
They have lower proportions of confirmed cases at 2.9% and 1.6%.
Patchy testing levels across states
There's evidence that states may also not be testing enough in highly populated areas where infections tend to be higher.
As of 30 November, 13% of Uttar Pradesh's cases were found in its capital, Lucknow, although fewer than 6% of total tests
in the state have been carried out there.
Kanpur district has the second-highest number of cases in the state, but just under 3% of total tests have been conducted
there.
District-level data in Bihar reveals a similar trend. One of the most populous areas, Patna, accounts for 18% of all reported
cases yet has conducted only 3% of the total tests in the state.
Other parts of the state have carried out relatively high numbers of tests, but have fewer cases.
Follow continuous news here. : slotxo
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on the country's worst-affected states to give top priority to testing and contact
tracing to combat coronavirus.
Daily cases in India have been falling since mid-September, but there's concern that varied testing strategies may be hindering
the battle against the disease.
What type of testing is India doing?
India had been using the what's known as a PCR test - regarded as the gold standard of testing - very widely.
But currently, only 60% of all tests use this method, and many Indian states - who are in charge of their own health policies -
have switched to rapid antigen testing (RAT), a faster but less reliable method.
RAT tests are known to miss up to 50% of cases due to false negatives (where infected people are not detected),
although some experts believe they are still useful in areas which have become virus hotspots.
Is testing consistent across the country?
No, it's not.
Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in India, with 17% of all cases.
In terms of total coronavirus cases, it's followed by states with significantly smaller populations such as Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
But Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - two other states with large populations - appear to be doing much better.
They have lower proportions of confirmed cases at 2.9% and 1.6%.
Patchy testing levels across states
There's evidence that states may also not be testing enough in highly populated areas where infections tend to be higher.
As of 30 November, 13% of Uttar Pradesh's cases were found in its capital, Lucknow, although fewer than 6% of total tests
in the state have been carried out there.
Kanpur district has the second-highest number of cases in the state, but just under 3% of total tests have been conducted
there.
District-level data in Bihar reveals a similar trend. One of the most populous areas, Patna, accounts for 18% of all reported
cases yet has conducted only 3% of the total tests in the state.
Other parts of the state have carried out relatively high numbers of tests, but have fewer cases.
Follow continuous news here. : slotxo