The number of fresh Covid-19 cases being reported every day and and the positivity rate are now at a 15-month low in Delhi but the number of Covid Tests is not. With a focus on preparing for the likely next wave, there has been no let-up in the number of daily tests. The district authorities are carrying out between 75,000 and 80,000 test every day even as the number of fresh Covid-19 cases has remained mostly below 100 and the positivity rate is at an all time low. This month has seven 73,134.4 Covid tests on average every day till July 12, which is higher than the average of 72,976.6 in June. Although the percentage of RT-PCR test, considered a gold standard in the diagnosis of Covid-19, was 71,42% last month, it is till as high as 70.12% this month despite the drastic fall in the number of fresh cases, fatalities and active cases. In November, when Delhi had witnessed a peak in both fresh and active Covid cases which were the all-time high till April this year 16.2 lakh tests were carried out, with an average of 54,022 a day. Out of this, slightly more than six lakh or 36.36% were the more reliable RT-PCR tests and more than 10 lakh were Rapid Antigen Tests. In December, nearly 24 lakh tests were carried out with the share of RT-PCR tests being 50.24% which increased 57.65% even as t he total number of tests dipped to 20.4 lakh in January this year. Hebruary, which saw a huge dip in the number of fresh cases, also saw the average number of tests carried out every day dip further to 58,4083.3 but the share of RT-PCR test went up 67.81%. As the number of cases started dipping from mid-May following the lockdown, the number of random Rapid Antigen Tests, usually carried out in public places, also came down. The average number of daily tests came down to 69,0815.6 in May, but the share of RT-PCR test peaked at 75.17%. District officials said that while they were already following an aggressive testing strategy, they had made surveillance in and near containment zones even more stringent.
