PANAJI: The Goa government's Expert Committee on COVID-19 on Saturday recommended that outbreak curbs should be linked to hospital admissions rather than the earlier practice of basing it on the positivity rate (infections per 100 tests).
The committee, which met during the day under acting Dean of Goa Medical College Dr Wiseman Pinto, pointed out that positivity rate was high but the number of people getting admitted in hospitals for the infection was low.
A committee member said lockdown should be imposed if the hospital bed occupancy crosses 50 per cent.
He said the committee will meet every week till the positivity rate in the state goes down.
Goa on Saturday reported 1,789 COVID-19 cases, with a positivity rate of 23.25 per cent, as the count was detected from 7,693 tests, an official said.
The positivity rate on Friday was 21.72 per cent, he pointed out.
The tally in the state stands at 1,87,987, the number of people discharged is 1,76,907, including 170 during the day, and the toll increased by one to touch 3,531, he said.
The active tally in Goa is 7,549 and the number of tests conducted in the state so far to detect the infection is 16,66,034, he added.
Goa's COVID-19 figures: Positive cases 1,87,987, new cases 1789, death toll 3531, discharged 176907, active cases 7549, samples tested till date 16,66,034.