Number is extraordinarily high as 263 labs across country tested 103 samples on an average on Thursday, according to ICMR data

A bunch of 3,896 samples from Madhya Pradesh were tested for COVID-19 on Thursday, a 41% jump from the previous day, according to the State government. The claim, however, is raising questions, given the State’s limited infrastructure, testing patterns nationwide and discrepancy with data received from the testing centres.

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On Thursday, nine of the 10 laboratories tested the samples. Going by the number of samples claimed to be tested, each lab in the State, which has reported the third highest number of cases in the country, tested on an average 361 samples.

The number is extraordinarily high, as 263 laboratories across the country tested 103 samples on an average on Thursday, according to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research.

In New Delhi, boasting the second highest number of cases among the States, 2,179 samples were tested by 18 labs on Thursday, with each lab testing 121 samples on an average. Whereas, laboratories in Kerala tested 665 cumulatively, and 54 samples on an average each. Since the outbreak, laboratories in Rajasthan have tested 125 cases on an average, while those in Maharashtra, which has most cases, have tested 45.

‘Working full time’

“This only means our testing capacity is increasing and we are working full time. Our full focus is on that. With aggressive testing, we can detect patients early and improve their chances of recovery,” Additional chief secretary (health) Mohammed Suleman told The Hindu on Friday.

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There was a spike, he explained, as the government was receiving results of samples it had sent to New Delhi two days ago. However, even excluding the 642 sample results of Indore residents that were received from the National Institute of Biologicals, Noida, on the day, the jump is beyond the State’s infrastructural capacity.

While the media bulletin claims 3,896 results were received on Thursday, Mr. Suleman himself had said then reports of 1,158 samples were received on the day, and they included those received from laboratories in New Delhi. “This is the highest number of samples received on any day,” he said.

While the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore, tested 356 samples on Thursday, four laboratories in Bhopal, including the one in AIIMS, cumulatively tested just 388 samples. One in Jabalpur tested 71. Data for one laboratory in Sagar, and two in Gwalior were unavailable.

“Labs test in shifts, one after the other,” said a supplier of RT-PCR testing kits, requesting anonymity. “And the ones in Bhopal are the State’s most advanced. You can’t expect the Sagar district one to test up to 300 samples a day. That is impossible.”

The testing rate in Madhya Pradesh more than doubled in a week. “We received 1,810 sample reports on Friday, of which 188 are positive,” said Mr. Suleman. Until Friday, 8.6% of all persons tested were confirmed positive.