Number of Covid tests nosedives in Patiala district

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 3

As the number of Covid cases continue to decline, the Health Department has seemingly reduced the average daily testing in the district. Officials, however, claimed that people were not coming forward for the test.

The testing has reduced by over 50 per cent over the past few weeks. The average daily testing in October was around 2,200, which fell to just 1,200 in November.

As per the daily health bulletin, the department collected 2,300 samples on October 1. However, only 660 samples were collected on November 1.

The district has recorded a significant fall in the number of new cases. However, it might be attributed to a decrease in the number of tests conducted, opined experts.

So far, 12,860 persons have tested positive for the virus and 12, 202 have recovered from it in the district. The virus claimed the lives of 381 Patiala residents.

Civil Surgeon Dr Harish Malhotra said there was an overall decline in the patient footfall in hospitals due to the ongoing festive season, which led to a reduction in the number of tests conducted in the district. Besides, rural folk was busy in paddy harvesting. He said, “Our teams are doing their best efforts. Despite everything, the average testing in the district is satisfactory.”