Covid-19: November sees lowest testing this year in Chandigarh

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 11

Only 28 persons per 1,000 population were tested for Covid in Chandigarh last month, which is the lowest monthly average of testing this year. The data pertaining to monthly average number of tests undertaken since January was tabled in the Lok Sabha yesterday.

The highest number of tests were conducted in May with 83 Covid tests per 1,000 population, when the second wave had gripped the city. It remained the worst month on the Covid front with the city seeing more than 17,000 cases and 275 deaths.

The number of tests reduced to half (44 tests per 1,000 population) during June and July but gathered some momentum in the subsequent two months of August and September.

Chandigarh has yet again failed to maintain the pace of testing as the number reduced to barely 34,000 tests in November. As the reports of the Omicron variant surfaced, the Chandigarh Administration was again prompted to upscale testing by issuing directions to the city hospitals to tests all patients coming to their OPDs. So far, testing per 1,000 population in December stands at only six tests.

The World Health Organisation states that the number of persons tested per 1,000 population per week (averaged over a two-week period) is a measure of public health response capacity, and above four persons tested per 1000 population per week is considered adequate.

Panchkula fares poorest in 6-month average

As far as monthly average for six months (June to November) is concerned, Chandigarh has fared slightly better than Mohali and Panchkula. As many as 53,802 tests on an average were conducted in Chandigarh in the past six months, while 44,951 persons on an average were tested for Covid in Mohali and only 24,808 in Panchkula district.

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