E-Paper
As 2nd Covid-19 wave recedes, here’s where test positivity rate stands in states
Kerala (18.6%), Mizoram (11.6%) and Manipur (9.7%) have the highest TPRs.
The devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, which was at its peak in April and May, has now receded, paving the way for schools across the country to reopen. Over the last few days, daily Covid-19 infections have been in the range of 30,000-45,000, suggesting that the second Covid-19 wave is largely under control.
The fall in fresh coronavirus cases means several states are witnessing low test positivity rate (TPR) as well. However, TPR, which is the ratio of the number of samples testing positive out of total samples tested on a given day, is still high in other states. According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, for the pandemic situation to be considered “under control,” this figure should be less than 3%.
Here is the positivity ratio in various states, as reported by Hindustan Times’ sister publication Live Hindustan, citing independent tracker covid19india.org:
TPR>3%: Kerala, where 32,803 people tested positive on Wednesday, has the highest TPR of 18.6%, followed by Mizoram (11.3%) and Manipur (9.7%). Sikkim and Meghalaya are next at 9% and 6.2% respectively.
TPR 1-3%: Nagaland’s TPR stands at exactly 3% followed by 2.7% in Arunachal Pradesh. Maharashtra is at 2.4%, while Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh are at 2.2% each. Puducherry (2.1%), West Bengal (1.7%), Goa (1.7%), Tripura (1.5%), Odisha (1.1%) and Tamil Nadu (1.1%).
TPR<1%: At 0.7% each, Karnataka and Assam have the highest positivity under this category, with Lakshadweep next at 0.5%. Both Telangana and Ladakh have TPR of 0.4%, followed by Jammu & Kashmir (0.3%), Uttarakhand (2%) and Chandigarh (0.2%). Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab and Anadaman & Nicobar are at 0.1% each. Meanwhile, it is at 0% in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
It is to be noted that 0% TPR does not mean that the number of samples returning a positive result in a state is zero, it only means that very less number of people are testing positive in the state.
