NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 tally surpassed 3 million on Sunday reaching 3,044,940, according to the latest data released by the health ministry.
The death toll due to the pandemic in the country also surged to 56,706.
As many as 69,239 new cases and 912 deaths were reported during the past 24 hours. According to the data, there are still 707,668 active cases across India, even as 2,280,566 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals.
Over the past few weeks, the Indian government’s focus has been on ramping up the testing of COVID-19 samples. Till Friday, a total of 34,491,073 samples had been tested, out of which 1,023,836 were tested on Friday alone, according to the latest data released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
This is the first time when more than one million samples were tested in a single day. According to official figures, the average daily positivity rate during the week of Aug. 3-9 was 9.67 percent, and it came down to 8.67 percent during the week of Aug. 10-16, and further down to 7.67 percent during the week of Aug. 17-23.
An official statement said, “Keeping a sharp focus on the Test, Track and Treat policy, the tests per million have seen a boost touching 25,574. It is only by aggressive testing that the positive cases can be identified, their contacts tracked in a timely manner and promptly isolated, as well as the severe and critical patients provided the needed clinical treatment.” The testing strategy also ensured a steady expansion of the national lab network. With 983 labs in the government sector and 532 private labs, 1,515 labs are providing comprehensive testing facilities to the people. – Agencies
