Weekly average testing increases, positivity rate drops in Navi Mumbai

In a month’s span, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has increased its weekly average testing from 6,881 to 8,126 while the positivity rate has come down from 0.94% to 0.34%

In the span of a month, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has increased its weekly average testing from 6,881 to 8,126 while the positivity rate has come down from 0.94% to 0.34%.

A resident undergoes testing in Koparkhairane, Navi Mumbai. The weekly average testing has risen while the positivity rate has risen in one month. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

Ahead of Diwali festival, the testing has been increased in order to find as many cases as possible.

Currently, on an average, 41 Covid cases are being reported daily as against 47 reported last week with active cases currently being at 417.

Meanwhile, in the last week of September, the average daily cases were 56 with active cases of 625. The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) has been constant at 1.80%. The overall positivity rate currently is 5.28%, which was 6.42% a month ago. The doubling rate of 1,496 reported a month ago has now increased to 2,263 days.

“Currently, we have a ratio of 60% antigen testing and 40% RT-PCR testing. In a week, we plan to increase the capacity of our lab from 3,000 to 5,000 after which the testing will be 50% each. Random testing has been increased as the number of hotspots are less. But it has been noticed that people are hesitant to get the testing done, which is posing a problem as the staff have to convince people to get tested. There is a notion that things are back to normal but we cannot take it lightly or consider that there will be no third wave. After the first wave state wide, the testing had reduced, thinking that the cases were going down but the second wave came. Hence, testing will not be reduced. A minimum 7,000 testing will be done on a daily basis,” NMMC chief Abhijit Bangar said.

The corporation has also asked its teams to be vigilant at market places and to fine people who do not wear masks.

The average testing during Dussehra had gone down following which the corporation picked up pace in testing now, said Bangar.

The vaccination drive at colleges continues. “Till the time the demand from colleges doesn’t stop and till all the colleges are not covered, the drive will continue,” Bangar added.

Till now, the drive has been done at 29 colleges wherein 2,383 people including students and teachers have got vaccinated. Till now, Navi Mumbai has not reported any cluster cases in schools or colleges.