High positivity-low testing: A big worry for T'gana | Economic Times

New Delhi: Telangana and its capital Hyderabad are becoming a major cause of worry as the ‘high positives-low testing’ scenario, which has been playing out since May, is only getting sharper by the day despite several red flags raised by the Centre and even a censure from the state’s High Court. This has forced the Centre to send a team to the state this week. Central teams had also gone to West Bengal, Gujarat and Maharashtra in April over similar concerns and all the three states soon ramped up testing. Telangana, however, continues to have a ‘high positive-low testing’ status from early May –– with little change on the ground. HIGH POSITIVES/LOW TESTING The central government’s latest assessment shows that from June 10-23, Telangana had the highest positive rate in India at 27.7% and the lowest number of tests per 10 lakh population at just 14,690. While the first signs of low testing was flagged off by the Centre in early May, data assessment done between May 26 and June 1 showed that Telangana was second only to Delhi in terms of its positivity rate, at 20.2%. Even then, Delhi with its 25.7% positive rate had conducted over 37,000 tests between May 26 and June 1. But Telangana conducted just 4,300 tests in the same week— the least among the five-state tally of high positives. And as on date, the gaps are becoming starker. 76655568THE STARK GAPS Telangana has had a daily positive rate ranging between 20% and 40% from June 10-23. As on June 23, the state recorded 4,073 positive cases and a positive rate of 28%. In contrast, Andhra Pradesh registered only 3% positive rate, Karnataka at 4%, Tamil Nadu at 11% and Maharashtra at 24%. Only Delhi showed the same high positivity rate as Telangana at 24% but that’s where the similarity ends. Between June 10-23, Delhi conducted 1.36 lakh tests while Telangana conducted only 14,690. Tamil Nadu recorded 2.66 lakh tests, Andhra Pradesh at 1.46 lakh, Maharashtra at 2.18 lakh, Bihar at 1.48 lakh and Karnataka at 1.23 lakh in the same period. Among the states with higher positivity rate, Telangana also has the lowest number of laboratories doing the testing — only 29 of them. Maharashtra has 104 labs, Tamil Nadu has 88, Karnataka 78, Andhra Pradesh 62 and Delhi 49. Even the laboratory network in place is not functioning to full capacity. As on date, only one out of 19 private labs in Telangana (0 out of 18 in Hyderabad) conducts more than 500 tests per week.CONCERN OVER HYDERABAD CASES Meanwhile, Hyderabad recorded the second highest positive rate at 32.1% on June 23, close on the heels of Mumbai at 33%. Chennai and Delhi are at 29% and 28% respectively, while Gurugram is at 21%. The city has conducted only 11,054 tests as on June 23 whereas Delhi logged in 1.36 lakh tests. Chennai and Mumbai managed 66,000 and 51,485 respectively. The ‘high positives-low testing scenario’ is suspected to worsen further in other districts which are not be getting as much focus as Hyderabad. Districts of Ranga Reddy, Sangareddy, Warangal Urban and Jagaon have recorded positive rates of 38%, 44%, 25% and 58% respectively, from June 17-23. The tests per 10 lakh population in the four districts ranges between 47 and 191.