Fadnavis alleges 50% drop in tests in city
Former chief minister and leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday alleged that there had been a 50% drop in the number of Covid-19 tests carried out in Mumbai last month.
In a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis said it was worrisome that the number of tests in Mumbai where the outbreak of the pandemic was most severe had been reduced even as the mortality rates were increasing in the state. “On May 1, of the total tests carried out in Maharashtra, 56% were from Mumbai, where the pandemic is most severe. On May 15, this rate dropped to 40% and as on May 31, it stands at only 27% of the total tests done in the state,” states the letter.
He added that the tests would have to be increased in the city given that the case positivity rate in the city was very high in the range of 31-32%. “In such a scenario, the tests must be doubled, but in this case there is a drop of 50%.”
“While there is a capacity to carry out 10,000 tests daily only 3,500-4,000 tests are being done in Mumbai. There is no point in trying to hike-reduce coronavirus numbers to tackle this pandemic effectively. Hope you will look into this issue,” adds the letter.
Fadnavis also pointed out that there had been instances where attempts had been made to hide Covid-19 or suspect Covid-19 as reason for death in certificate in the city.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, Sena Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson pointed out that testing in Mumbai stood at 15, 695 per million, the most done by any city or state in the country currently.
“As of June 2, Mumbai was conducting 15,695 tests per million, the highest in any city or the state in the country. The state health department is working along with ICMR and tests have been done transparently and aggressively. This data is shared with residents of the city and state. This is an unfortunate charge made by the leader of Opposition and we request him to offer his wellmeaning advice on the need of higher testing to other states that aren’t doing this or avoiding transparency.’’