400% rise in Covid-19 cases in India in two weeks

NEW DELHI: Despite a 400 percent rise in Covid-19 cases in India in the last two weeks, testing hasn’t picked up, with some states not even publicly sharing the data on the number of RT-PCR tests being conducted daily, even though the Centre has issued advisories on ramping up the tests.

A new survey also confirmed that people are not taking Covid-19 tests despite having Covid-19 symptoms. The survey conducted among 11,000 people in 303 districts in the country showed that 76 percent did not undertake Covid-19 testing, even though they had the symptoms.

The survey highlighted that the actual Covid-19 cases might be underreported by 300 percent in India.

Experts said testing is important as it not only helps in generating a more “accurate epidemiological picture” but also in providing quick treatment as well as isolation for an asymptomatic patient who might otherwise transmit the disease in the community.

Even though the testing capacity has increased since the Covid-19 outbreak, the number of new Covid-19 tests has fallen drastically this year.

According to Krishna Prasad NC, a Covid data analyst, during the first and second Covid-19 waves, India conducted 17.7 crores Covid tests in 2020 compared to 54 crores in 2021. In 2022, the number went down to 19.5 crores.

This year, till April 5 when India is once again registering a surge in Covid-19 cases triggered by XBB.1.16, 1.1 crore Covid-19 tests were recorded.

Last year in March, India conducted 2.13 crore tests, compared to 28.82 lakh tests this year. Similarly, in the first five days in April 2022, which again saw a rise, especially in Delhi and NCR region, 22.56 lakh Covid tests were conducted as compared to 6.49 lakh in the same corresponding period this year, said Prasad, who is based in Kerala and has been very actively updating India’s Covid data daily since the pandemic started.

Experts said there could be many reasons behind the reluctance to undergo Covid testing — despite the surge.