Tamil Nadu has been ramping up COVID-19 testing with its daily sample count crossing 80,000 recently. Presently, the State has a total of 11.9 lakh RT-PCR testing kits.
Coronavirus | September 10 updates
Officials of the Health Department said that presently, 7.1 lakh RT-PCR testing kits were available with the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC), while 4.8 lakh were available on the field, with hospitals across the State.
On average, the State has been testing 80,000 samples a day since September 3. As of September 10, a total of 56,30,323 samples have been tested in Tamil Nadu.
With the daily sample count remaining in the 80,000-85,000 range, an official said that 60,000 samples were tested in government laboratories and 20,000 in private ones.
Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India
Falling positivity rate
“TNMSC has ordered 63.25 lakh kits so far, cumulatively. Of this, 48.25 lakh have been supplied so far,” he said. A health official pointed out that the State had increased testing for COVID-19, and its positivity rate had come down.
According to official month-wise data, the number of samples tested in March was 2,345, while in August, a total of 19,15,671 samples were tested in the State. The State’s positivity rate in August was 8.53%.
State-wise tracker for coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates
Testing infrastructure too has improved, with the State having a total of 163 laboratories — 64 in the government sector and 99 in private — as on Thursday. An official said that there may be a need to focus more on the districts that have been seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases.