Kerala needs to substantially increase RT-PCR tests for COVID-19: Union govt

Kerala, which has the highest number of active COVID-19 patients in the country, needs to substantially increase the RT-PCR test rate, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday. Maharashtra, which has the second highest active cases, but only almost half of Kerala’s present active case load, has also been asked to increase their RT-PCR test rates. Both the states account for 72% of the active COVID-19 cases in the country.

Addressing a press briefing, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said both these states have 61,550 and 37,383 active cases, respectively. "This accounts for 72% of the total active cases in the country," Bhushan said. Responding to a question on the reason behind more active cases in these two states, he said one of the reasons might be that the number of RT-PCR tests have gone down.

"Over a period of time, both in Maharashtra and in Kerala, the number of RT-PCR tests have gone down and there is a need to substantially increase RT-PCR tests. This is something we have shared with both the states," he said.

NITI Aayog member (Health) VK Paul said there is a need to keep following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.

"If we look at Kerala, the increase in the number of cases can be traced since the time of festivals. There is a scope to increase testing in both the states too and attempts to increase surveillance intensity must be made. We should keep maintaining vigil," he said.

Meanwhile, recently Kerala government issued a direction asking health officials to collect two samples — for Rapid Antigen test and RT-PCR test — simultaneously from symptomatic persons, as it was observed that many are not conducting RT-PCR test once the Rapid Antigen test declares them negative. Therefore, in order to ensure that positive cases don't go missing, swab samples for both the tests will be collected together. If a person is declared negative after an Antigen test, samples for RT-PCR will be sent for testing at once.

(With PTI inputs)

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