BENGALURU:
The state’s positivity rate was below 5% on Friday, which fell further to 3.9% on Saturday.
positive covid
Experts note that some districts that were not testing enough have not improved the state, and therefore the low positivity rate may not show the actual spread of the pandemic in the state.
Dr CN Manjunath, Nodal Officer, Laboratories and Testing, Covid-19 Task Force, said that out of 70 lakh of tests conducted in the state, 26 lakh were conducted in Bengaluru alone. “In the remaining 29 districts, 44 lakhs of testing have been done so far. This means that the testing objectives need to be changed in many of the districts, ”he added.
In the last 10 days, the proof per million (TPM) has been low in districts like Belagavi (4,518), Bidar (5,150), Vijayapura (5,323) compared to Bengaluru which has made 47,143 TPM. Those are the data released by Covid’s state war room on October 23. Karnataka, on average, has made 16,117 dwt. And the TPM of 26 districts is lower than the state average.
Dr. Giridhara R. Babu, epidemiologist, member of the Covid 19 technical advisory committee, said that unless renewed efforts are made to improve testing in other districts, the actual positivity rate will not be known.
“We have to be cautious when interpreting the data. The decline we see is primarily due to districts where testing is performing well. In Bengaluru and Mysuru, we are testing well. The positivity rate in these areas contributed greatly to the positivity of the state. When there is a drop in the rate in these districts, the overall rate also drops. But we do not know of other districts. To rate the same low positivity rate for the entire state would be a mistake, “he added.
Dr. Manjunth said the few reported cases in the state shouldn’t make anyone complacent or casual. “The current extended weekend and the weekend after are crucial to preventing the spread of the virus. Just because there are vacations, people shouldn’t start traveling to other places, throwing safety rules to the wind, ”he said.
According to Dr. V Ravi, professor and head of the department of neurovirology at Nimhans, who is a member of the technical advisory committee, the low rate of positivity is a clear sign of a decrease in the number of cases.
“Increased testing, tracking and tracing have made this possible. We have stepped up testing and logged over one lakh every day for over 3-4 weeks. Having said that, he would still be a bit cautious. Dasara is when a lot of interactions happen and people go out in hordes; the positivity rate for the end of October and the first week of November will be crucial, ”he said, adding that Kerala witnessed an increase in cases after Onam celebrations.
Pvt school assn will hold a protest march in November
Karnataka Associated Management of English Medium Schools (KAMS) will hold a protest march in November to draw the government’s attention to the plight of private schools in the state.
KAMS Secretary General D Shashi Kumar said: “The situation of private schools is getting worse by the day as there are no admissions and no government support. We will organize a march from Tumakuru to Bengaluru as a sign of protest. ”
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