PUNE: The
Covid-19 test
positivity rate in the month of December in the
Pune Metropolitan Region was an average 8% — the lowest in four months.
It was a steep drop from the 26% the region had recorded in September. And health officials said the fall continued.
Data provided by the district health office showed that the monthly dips also brought down the overall Covid-19 positivity rate, which in December was at 19%, compared to 24% by the end of September.
The test positivity rate is a key measure of infection prevalence in a community. It’s the portion of tests that return positive within a specific period.
Data also showed that positivity rate dropped in December despite an increase in the number of samples tested. The number of tests was increased to 2.3 lakh in December compared to just over two lakh in November and October.
Officials from the Pune health department said the drop in positivity rate meant they were spotting a lower number of infections in the population. Both the
PMC and
PCMC reported fewer new
Covid-19 cases in December and a high number of patient recoveries.
The month had 19,152 positive cases and 24,130 discharges in the whole of
PMR, which includes the two municipalities, the cantonments and parts of Pune rural.
Officials said steps are being taken to bring down the overall positivity rate further.
Sanjeev Wavre, the assistant health chief of the PMC, said, “Around 4,000 tests are being carried out every day in
Pune city. We are urging citizens to get themselves tested if they feel they have symptoms. People should not ignore early signs,” he said.