With 182 reported infections and four deaths so far, is India taking this advice seriously? Is the world's second-most populous country testing enough? The jury is out on this one. India had tested some 14,175 people in 72 state-run labs as of Thursday evening - one of the lowest testing rates in the world. The reason: the country has limited testing. So, only people who have been in touch with an infected person or those who have travelled to high-risk countries, or health workers managing patients with severe respiratory disease and developing Covid-19 symptoms are eligible for testing.
søndag 22. mars 2020
Coronavirus: Why is India testing so little?
"We have a simple message to all countries - test, test, test," World Health Organisation (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva earlier this week. He was alluding to the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 10,000 people and infected nearly 250,000 in at least 159 countries. "All countries should be able to test all suspected cases, they cannot fight this pandemic blindfolded," he said.
With 182 reported infections and four deaths so far, is India taking this advice seriously? Is the world's second-most populous country testing enough? The jury is out on this one. India had tested some 14,175 people in 72 state-run labs as of Thursday evening - one of the lowest testing rates in the world. The reason: the country has limited testing. So, only people who have been in touch with an infected person or those who have travelled to high-risk countries, or health workers managing patients with severe respiratory disease and developing Covid-19 symptoms are eligible for testing.
With 182 reported infections and four deaths so far, is India taking this advice seriously? Is the world's second-most populous country testing enough? The jury is out on this one. India had tested some 14,175 people in 72 state-run labs as of Thursday evening - one of the lowest testing rates in the world. The reason: the country has limited testing. So, only people who have been in touch with an infected person or those who have travelled to high-risk countries, or health workers managing patients with severe respiratory disease and developing Covid-19 symptoms are eligible for testing.
