PATNA: Bihar is witnessing a gradual fall in the Covid-19 testing rate. This is despite CM Nitish Kumar's many instructions to ramp up the testing rate at least to 10,000 per day. On Tuesday alone, more than 385 persons including the niece of CM and a woman BJP MLA and her family members, tested positive.
According to data collected by TNIE, form July 1 to 7, the number of tests conducted stand 7791, 7187, 7930, 6799, 6213 and 5168 respectively. On the other hand, the casualty rate continued to rise from 73 deaths on July 1 to 78, 84, 88, 90, 97 and 98.
Pointing out the dropping number of tests, Leader of Opposition Tejashawi Yadav, lashed out at the Nitish Kumar-led government. “Bihar is the single state in the country where the corona testing is reduced rather than being increased while cases are on the hike”, he said. The RJD leader added that the CM’s sample was tested in just two hours while common people’s reports take five to six days to come.
A data recently shared by Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant also stated that Bihar's testing rate is the lowest among 19 other states of the country with 2197 testing being done per million. The neighbouring states like Jharkhand are doing far better in testing with 4,416 per million, UP with 3798 and West Bengal with 5,452 testing per millions respectively.
Health Minister Mangal Pandey was unavailable to comment but he tweeted stating that 9,338 positive cases have so far been cured in the state, taking recovery rate to 74.55%. Meanwhile, testing has resumed at PMCH and the RMRIMS after three days of closures in the wake of some staff were tested positive recently.