Data | COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and Punjab increase sharply

The average number of tests conducted in February reduced compared to January in both States

Updated - February 24, 2021 07:22 pm IST

Published - February 24, 2021 07:18 pm IST

Passengers taking COVID-19 tests at the Thane railway station in Maharashtra on Sunday.

After peaking in mid-September 2020 , the number of COVID-19 cases in India has been consistently declining. However, in the past week, some States have reversed this trend. In Maharashtra and Punjab , new cases have surged. Alarmingly, cases increased in February 2021 amid reduced testing in both these States. This is of concern because the rise in cases cannot be attributed to increased testing. Going forward, tests should be ramped up in these States to identify more positives in a shorter duration to mitigate the disease spread.

Cases increase

Daily cases in Maharashtra (MH) and Punjab (PB) have recorded a sharp increase in February. On Feb. 19, the number of daily cases in Maharasthra crossed the 6,000-mark for the first time in nearly three months. On the same day, the number of daily cases in Punjab crossed the 350-mark for the first time in nearly two months.

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Tests decrease

More worryingly, the rise of daily cases in these two States cannot be attributed to increased testing levels. On the contrary, the average number of tests conducted in February reduced compared to January in both States. However, after the alarming rise in cases, both States have increased testing levels in the last few days.

Also read: Data | Tamil Nadu and Punjab falling behind other States in COVID-19 vaccination drive

Positives per 100 tests

The chart depicts the number of positive cases identified per 100 tests (TPR). On February 20, 1.7 positive cases were identified in Punjab per 100 tests — the State’s highest this year. On the same day, 8.9 positive cases were identified in Maharashtra per 100 tests — again, the State’s highest this year.

Tests per positive case

The chart depicts the number of tests conducted to find a positive case (TPC). On February 20, 61.8 tests and 11.3 tests were conducted in Punjab and Maharashtra respectively to identify one positive case — the lowest for both States this year.

Source: www.covid19india.org

Data are as of February 20

Also read: Data | COVID-19 cases in Israel decline rapidly among elders vaccinated first

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