Covid positivity rate in Chittoor causes concern

Tirupati: Covid test positivity rate has been continuously soaring up causing serious concern among people in Chittoor district. The number of Covid tests witnessed a steep fall to below 2,000 for the last two days and the positivity rate during the last one week was above 56 percent. In their obvious bid to show the reduced number of cases, the officials have brought down the number of tests though symptomatic patients were in large numbers.

The district reported 1,549 positive cases during the first 10 days of January whereas in the next 10 days the total number of cases were 13,012. During the last one week there were 10,973 positive cases. It may be noted here that the number of daily tests were in between 1,800 to 3,200 during the last one week with only one exception of 4,097 tests on January 17. Still, more than 50 percent of tests were giving positive results.

The officials have been maintaining that they were following the ICMR guidelines in conducting tests which states that only those, who are highly symptomatic or having comorbidities need to be tested. But, in fact, the ICMR's advisory on purposive testing strategy issued on January 10, stated that symptomatic individuals, individuals undertaking international travel and international travellers arriving in India may be tested. Only asymptomatic individuals need not be tested.

The advisory did not make it a rule to test only asymptomatic and send others back without testing. Even the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has asked the states on January 18 to immediately ramp up the testing in a strategic manner in view of the increasing cases. It underlined the fact that the testing is key to the management of pandemic. The ministry has even pointed out that the testing has declined in many states.

In the absence of tests, even the symptomatic patients were freely moving around in the markets which has been spreading the virus further. The patients were going to medical shops and asking for medicines which Covid patients use. With this, when one member of the family is infected it spreads to the entire family.

Meanwhile, several students, teachers, doctors and nursing staff were tested Covid positive. It was learnt that more than 200 teachers and a few students in different schools have been infected. Another 250 plus doctors and nursing staff were also Covid positive in Ruia and SVIMS hospitals. The situation in PHCs and other hospitals was no different.