India has tested over 35 million samples till date for Covid-19, says govt

Testing over 800,000 samples for six days in a row, India's total Covid-19 tests have touched 35.2 million, while the average daily positivity rate has come down from 9.67 per cent during August 3-9 to 7.67 pc over the last week, the Centre said on Sunday.

So far, 35,292,220 samples have been tested for detection of Covid-19 with 801,147 being tested on Saturday.

The steep rise in testing is a result of effective implementation of the aggressive testing strategy of the Centre through a focussed and graded approach, the ministry said.

"The rising average daily tests during the past three weeks present a strong depiction of the progress made in the enhancement of Covid-19 tests across the country. The rise in daily testing has been followed by a decrease in the average daily positivity rate," the health ministry highlighted.

Keeping a sharp focus on the 'test, track and treat' policy, tests per million population have seen a boost, touching 25,574 as on date.

"It is only by aggressive testing that positive cases can be identified, their contacts tracked in a timely manner and promptly isolated, as well as the severe and critical patients provided the needed clinical treatment," the ministry said.

The testing strategy also ensured a steady expansion of the laboratory network. Today, with 983 labs in the government sector and 532 private labs, a total of 1515 labs are providing comprehensive testing facilities to the people, it said.

With a single-day spike of 69,239 infections, India's Covid-19 caseload mounted to 30,44,940, while the death toll climbed to  56,706 with 912 fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.