As Noida scales up testing, positivity rate dips to 4%

NOIDA: The positivity rate — the total number of Covid patients vis-à-vis the samples tested in a particular period — has come down in Noida from 17% in mid-June to around 4% towards the end of July. Officials have, however, warned residents against letting their guard down, saying it would take little time for the infection to spread if people do not follow safety protocols
The Uttar Pradesh government had last month ordered a review of the positivity rate in its 75 districts after concluding a 10-day drive during which the state had set a target of 4,000 tests daily.The government was keen on reviewing the positivity rate in the NCR districts of Noida and Ghaziabad. The reason was their proximity with Delhi, where cases have been rising by leaps and bounds.
Three dates were considered for comparing the number of cases and the samples tested — July 16, 17 and 18. The positivity rate during this period was 3.6% for Noida and 3.4% for Ghaziabad. At that time, the overall positivity rate was 5.7% in the state.
The government had raised an alarm in the middle of June, when the positivity rate in Noida had touched the peak at over 15%. Worried over the trend, residents had flooded the CM’s office with grievances, alleging mismanagement of the Covid situation by the Noida administration.
Noida’s chief medical officer Deepak Ohri said, “Irrespective of the positivity rate, we have continued to maintain the increased testing rate since July 12. Close to 2,500 tests are being conducted on a daily basis. A majority of these tests are being done through rapid antigen kits.”
In May and early June, the Noida administration had been accused of not conducting enough tests. It was only during the latter part of June and early July, when the10-day drive was conducted, that testing was scaled up in the district.
Over the past one week — between July 29 and August 4 — 657 new cases have been reported in Noida. In the same period, about 15,900 tests have been conducted, which translates into a positivity rate of 4.1%. Officials said that on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, lower number of tests could be conducted since a lot of staff members were on leave on account of Bakrid and Rakshabandhan.