NEW DELHI: RT-PCR accounted for over 70 per cent of the total tests done to identify infected patients in the last five months in the national capital, according to government data.
Real Time Polymer Chain Reaction test (RT-PCR), which detects the viral genetic material (RNA), is considered more reliable than Rapid Antigen Test (RAT).
As many as 16.17 lakh tests, including 11.18 lakh RT-PCR, were done in the national capital in the month of August, according to the data.
The month before a total of 21.79 lakh tests were carried out of which 15.18 lakh were done through the RT-PCR method.
When it comes to the month of May and June, 75.17 per cent of the 21.41 lakh tests and 71.42 per cent of the total 21.88 lakh tests were RT-PCRs.
In February, March and April, 64.81 per cent, 64.29 per cent and 66.02 per cent tests were conducted through this method. Over 20 lakh tests were conducted in January, of which 11.78 lakh (57.65 per cent) were RT-PCR tests.
The relatively high percentage of RT-PCR tests in April and May coincides with the period from where the national capital saw a steady rise of Covid cases.
The Covid daily tally started witnessing an alarming surge from the last week of March, which continued till the beginning of May.
Numbers spiked particularly sharply in the third week of April, according to official data.
Since April 19, both daily cases and single-day deaths count had been spiralling up, with over 28,000 cases and 277 deaths recorded on April 20; rising to 306 fatalities on April 22.
On May 3, the city registered a record 448 deaths. Daily cases count had dropped to 20 on August 30, when one death was recorded.
Why RT-PCR is preferred
Real Time Polymer Chain Reaction test (RT-PCR), which detects the viral genetic material (RNA),is considered more reliable than Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) when it comes to testing of Covid.
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