BENGALURU: With the state setting its sights on a minimum one lakh Covid-19 tests a day, results of many suspected Covid-19 patients are pending across districts. Swab samples are piling up in laboratories and sources say the backlog is to the tune of 20,000 a day.
Data TOI collated from daily bulletins issued by eight district administrations showed that 11,997 test results were pending as of Wednesday (March 31). Not all districts mention the number of samples yet to be tested in their bulletins.
Bagalkot topped the list with 3,897 samples awaiting tests, while Kalaburagi was not far behind with 3,261 results pending. Samples were also pending in Vijayapura (1,777), Yadgir (1,602), Bidar (800), Dharwad (403), Shivamogga (200) and Gadag (57).
Daily bulletins from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Mysuru, Ballari and Chamarajanagar districts do not reveal the number of test results pending.
“Testing targets for each district were increased based on recommendations of the state’s Covid-19 technical advisory committee,” said a district health officer. “Despite lab staff working in multiple shifts, there will be a backlog. However, pool testing, where five samples are clubbed and tested, has been a relief.”
However, with the government setting up testing facilities in medical colleges in the last one year, some districts have no backlog. When contacted, district health authorities in Chikkaballapura and Mandya said that they have no samples pending results.
BBMP authorities claim no results are left pending for more than 36 hours. “We have given clear instructions that all
Covid samples must be tested and reports delivered within a maximum 36 hours failing which notice will be issued to the labs. We do not have any pendency,” said Dr BK Vijendra, chief health officer, public health, BBMP.
Dr CN Manjunath, nodal officer, Covid testing, said a backlog is a natural consequence of the state deciding to ramp up testing. “I don’t know the exact number of test results pending,” Dr Manjunath said. “But considering the sample size of more than 1.1 lakh tests, pendency of about 20,000 tests results is reasonable.”
KV Trilok Chandra, commissioner, state health and family welfare department, said the priority is to update positive results first in order to immediately begin tracking and treatment.
“There is a lag in updating negative results,” he said. “In the ICMR portal, the labs first update positive results as this helps to quickly trace the patient and initiate treatment. The negative results from each lab are uploaded after the positive results are made known,” he added.