Testing capacity of city is underutilised

While 32 out of 100 samples are testing positive for COVID-19, only around 65% of the testing capacity in Mumbai is being used

Despite the ability of the government and private laboratories to carry out a total of 7,000 tests for COVID-19 daily in Mumbai, the BMC is testing only 4,500 samples on an average each day. This means only 65 per cent of the daily testing capacity in Mumbai is being utilised.

The BMC's underutilisation of the daily testing capacity is a cause for concern, say health experts, especially since the city has the highest number of patients suffering from COVID-19 in the country.

According to data provided by the public health department of the BMC, from May 13 to May 23, the BMC conducted 43,025 COVID-19 tests, of which 13,853 tested positive. This means, on an average, out of every 100 tests carried out in Mumbai, 32 samples turned out to be COVID-19 positive. The civic body attributes the high percentage of positive test results to greater testing in containment zones or hotspots.

“ore testing is done at those places which have the highest number of cases, and the rate of identification of COVID-19 cases is also high,” said Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner.

Experts, however, say the BMC should test more, as this will help it detect patients at an early stage, thereby increasing the chances of recovery. If tests are carried out at full capacity, it will not only improve the mortality rate, but also help stop the spread of the infection.

When asked why maximum use of the city’s testing capacity was not being made, Dr Daksha Shah, deputy executive health officer, BMC, said, “As per the new testing protocol, symptomatic or high-risk patients need to be tested for COVID-19, while those who are asymptomatic are being quarantined at quarantine centres or at home. On that basis, we are conducting enough tests every day.” The BMC had earlier issued an order directing private laboratories to submit reports within 24 hours. However, due to the heavy load of samples, labs were allegedly failing to submit reports on time. “We get a greater number of samples than our capacity, and then we are asked to submit the reports within 24 hours, which is not possible. As a result, there are backlogs and we are deemed to be at fault,” said a lab technician, on condition of anonymity. Dr Vikrant Shah, an infectious disease expert, said the number of positive results per 100 samples tested in the city was very high. He said this meant the BMC has been unable to contain the spread of the disease and check a high number of cases from cropping up, because it is not testing enough people. “There are many patients who are not being tested, due to which they develop symptoms such as breathlessness with pneumonia, and later their health condition starts to deteriorate. The BMC should not prioritise categories in COVID-19 testing,” Shah said. “As there is no policy on treating suspected patients, they are either kept at home or quarantined in facilities. Due to this, more people get infected by the carrier,” he said.