Covid testing rates at private labs slashed by 40% in Chandigarh

With testing numbers halving since September’s 1,500 a day, admn wants to encourage people to come forward

Seeing a dip in Covid-19 testing numbers, the Chandigarh health department on Wednesday slashed the rates set for private labs and is also planning aggressive surveillance in micro-containment zones in the city.

Health secretary Arun Gupta said the move aims to encourage people to get tested, especially if they are contacts of positive patients or live in containment zones.

The rate for RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test has been reduced from ₹2,000 to ₹1,200, while for rapid antigen tests, it has been fixed at ₹650. The Haryana government had recently fixed the same rates.

According to the order issued under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897, the rates are “inclusive of GST/taxes if any, cost involved in pickup, PPE packing transportation of samples, documentation and reporting in the city of Chandigarh”.

The tests are conducted for free at government labs.

Drop in testing cause of concern

Testing has plunged from an average of 1,500 a day in September to around 700 in the first week of October, raising serious concerns among experts.

Dr Rajesh Kumar, former head of the PGIMER’s community medicine department, cautioned that any laxity in testing and contact tracing could lead to another surge. “Delhi is a fine example. It saw another surge after witnessing a peak once. The reason could be the drop in testing numbers and surveillance,” he said.

“There is a dip in the number of tests being conducted in private as well as government labs,” said Arun Gupta, adding that it could be due to various factors. “As positive cases have decreased, the number of contacts has gone down too. However, it is a cause of worry if even those with mild symptoms or those who have come in contact with positive patients are not coming forward. There is a limit to which we can push people to go for testing.”

Gupta said the administration will also increase surveillance and go for aggressive testing in the notified containment zones. “There is no target to achieve as far as testing is concerned, but in the present scenario, we need to test around 1,000 people a day. We are working towards that by increasing testing of asymptomatic people,” he said.