States asked to ramp up testing: Health Secretary

About 14 states still have less than 5,000 active COVID-19 cases, 18 states have between 5,000 to 50,000 cases and only 4 states have more than 50,000 cases in India, said Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a press conference here on Tuesday.

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu contribute 60.35% of the total active cases, he said.

Of the new deaths, nearly 69% are concentrated in five State/UTs of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi, he added.

India is still registering fewer cases per million population, among the lowest in world. The same can be said of the deaths per million, he said, adding that the recovery rate has touched 78.28% today.

We want Delhi to ramp up its testing, since the positivity rate is at 8.9% despite the high testing numbers, Mr. Bhushan said, Karnataka, Bihar and AP have also been asked to ramp up testing. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have also been advised the same.

The country’s positivity rate is now 8.4%, he said. – PTI