At 2,931, Ludhiana tops state in tests per million

LUDHIANA: Even as the daily Covid cases are on the decline, the number of tests per million in the district is the highest in the state.
With the highest tests and falling positivity, the state health department guidelines say the local health department needs to maintain status quo.
According to the state health department data, the district’s tests per million were 2,931 as on June 24 evening.
The data shows that Ludhiana is at the top on the parameter in the state, Faridkot is second (2,673) and Jalandhar third (2,646). Moga has the lowest (702) tests per million.
The district’s 2,931 tests per million on June 24 are less than June 15’s when the number was 3,191 on the seven-day average scale. The number increased from 1,201 on March 31 to 1,250 on April 9, fell to 1,193 on April 13, increased to 3,933 by May 18 and 3,950 on June 3 before reaching the present value.
The data of June 24 shows that Ludhiana has the lowest average positivity rate (around 1.5%) in Punjab. SAS Nagar has the highest (around 7%), followed by Ferozepur (around 5.5%) and Bathinda (5).
District epidemiologist Dr Ramesh Bhagat said they have been testing thousands of people on a daily basis and will continue to carry out a large number of tests.
“It is important to test maximum number of people for Covid to keep the disease in check. Aggressive testing helps in detecting asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, thereby preventing the virus spread,” said former SMO Rajinder Gulati.
District vs state
Ludhiana had 2,931 tests per million on June 24 evening and Punjab 1,751.
When to maintain status quo, when to test more
The state health department guidelines say that in areas where tests per million (TPM) are high and positivity is low, the department needs to maintain status quo. In areas where TPM and positivity are high, the department needs to assess reasons for high positivity and develop interventions. In areas where TPM and positivity are low, the department must increase testing.
And in areas where TPM is low and positivity is high, the department needs to increase testing on priority.