COIMBATORE: At a time when Coimbatore has been witnessing a spurt in Covid-19 cases, the health department sources claimed that the number of swab samples collected per day in the city has reduced from 4,000 to 2,000 due to official reasons. The officials, however, continue to send the samples to Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai for testing. Sources alleged that the samples are sent only to government labs as the positivity rate of tests performed in private facilities is relatively higher. "The sudden decrease in the number of samples collected might affect the district's Covid-19 positivity rate, which currently stands at seven per cent," sources added. When contacted, a senior official of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) said that the samples are not being sent to Madurai for testing but examined at private labs in the city.