35 lakh and counting: UP tops in testing Covid-19 samples

LUCKNOW: With testing of 35,98,210 samples since March to its credit, Uttar Pradesh on Friday grabbed the top position in Covid-19 testing, claimed official.

Managing 90,000 to 1 lakh samples daily, UP also holds the record of testing highest number of samples daily.

A tweet from chief minister’s office handle said, Yogi Adityanath had expressed satisfaction over achieving the first position in the highest sample tests but directed officers to take testing activities to its capacity.

Additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said, Uttar Pradesh on Thursday tested 96,106 samples taking the total tally of the samples tested to 35.98 lakh.

UP now holds first position in the total testing of samples, a record that was held by Tamil Nadu, he said. Prasad said the chief minister had set the target of one lakh samples per day and the state health department was constantly working towards increasing the sample test. The state is conducting more tests than 140 samples per 10 lakh set by the

World Health Organization (WHO), he said. The laboratories in the state are testing 35,000 to 40,000 samples daily whereas in March merely 60 samples were tested daily. The state government is also increasing the laboratories. In March, the samples were tested in KGMU whereas at present the samples are being tested in 33 laboratories across the state, Prasad added.

UP has set the target of 60,000 to 80,000 rapid antigen tests per day. After achieving the target, the state is working to increase the RT-PCR test from 35,000 daily to 50,000 to 60,000 per day.