Karnataka tests least among 5 states with 3 lakh+ Covid cases

BENGALURU: More than 1.4 lakh new Covid-19 cases were detected in Karnataka during a 16-day period beginning September 1 and the state tested more than 10.9 lakh samples for the virus during that time. But it still lags on the testing front among the top five states which have a caseload of more than 3 lakh cases. Of these five states, Karnataka tested the least.
With the fourth-highest number of cases among these five states, Karnataka trails Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, but is ahead of Uttar Pradesh.However, Uttar Pradesh with the least number of cases has tested the most, followed by Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Karnataka is among the states the Centre has advised to ramp up testing. The state, data shows, had tested more than 10,000 more samples than UP as on May 31, but as of September 16, UP had conducted a staggering 39.5 lakh more tests than Karnataka.
The other three states have consistently been ahead of Karnataka, while different states have been ahead of each other at different points in time (see graphic).
In September, Karnataka, on average tested 68,154 samples per day compared to more than 1.5 lakh in UP. The state compares poorly with Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu too, both of which have been testing more than 80,000 samples per day.
Only Andhra Pradesh, with 67,748 daily tests on average, tested less than Karnataka in September, but the state’s overall testing rate has been much higher. Also, Andhra is the only state among the top five that has a smaller population than Karnataka.
However, officials say Karnataka, which has increased its testing capacity, has been testing a huge number of samples each day and that the focus now is on vulnerable populations and areas.
In the first week of September, medical education minister K Sudhakar had said that the state aims to achieve a target of 1 lakh daily tests soon. He had even pointed out how from just one testing lab on March 8 when the first case was reported, the state now has more than a 100 labs. Seventeen days on, that target is yet to be achieved.