The more tests, the safer it is being the theory, 40,000 COVID-19 tests a day on an average done in Telangana State are lower vis-a-vis the number of tests in a city like Delhi.
Making this observation, the Telangana High Court on Thursday directed the State government to furnish different details like the figures of Rapid Antigen Tests and RT-PCR tests conducted daily across the State.
Hearing a batch of PIL petitions seeking multiple reliefs related to the coronavirus pandemic situation, a bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy asked the government to furnish a geo-map of the spread of COVID in different districts of the State.
The bench also wanted the government to explain the inputs of sero-surveillance conducted in different regions or districts. Sero-surveillance is a method adopted to measure the levels of anti-bodies against a specific infection by conducting random sample tests. It helps decode the percentage of population affected by the virus.
Details of RAT and RT-PCR, which would be conducted from January 25 to February 10, should be furnished in tabulated form district-wise. The bench observed that it was heartening to note that compliance of the HC directions from time to time by the government resulted in containing further spread of the virus. The situation was not as critical as it was earlier.
Advocate General B.S. Prasad told the bench that four cases of new strain were reported in the State while the government machinery was taking adequate steps to track the carriers and their contacts. However, the CJ said that the number of tests carried out in the State per day was not impressive.
The CJ observed that Telangana State, which was bigger in area and population compared to Delhi, could have conducted more tests going by the COVID-19 test figures of Delhi. Time line of the tests, time taken to give results, areas affected the most in the State and district-wise information, should be compiled and presented before the bench by February 19, the bench said.
Meanwhile, remarking that there was no need for multiple PIL pleas on the same content, the CJ disposed of all the PIL petitions on COVID, barring two. However, the petitioners and their counsels can suggest to the bench any issues related to the matter, the bench said.
