India is experiencing an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the test positivity rate (TPR) – an important indicator in determining the spread of an outbreak – reaching 8.40% on April 16. It is the highest TPR, which indicates the percentage of people infected by the virus among those tested, since February 3, 2022, when the third wave driven by Omicron surged in India. Apart from Delhi, Goa (15.38%), Rajasthan (15.69%), Haryana (14.28%), Uttarakhand (11.94%), Karnataka (8.92%), Chandigarh (8.47%), Tamil Nadu (8.66%), and Himachal Pradesh (7.07%) reported high TPR on April 17. Despite having the highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths, Kerala does not publicly share the number of Covid-19 tests and TPR. TPR, according to Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of the National Indian Medical Association (IMA) Covid-19 task force, indicates the extent to which the disease is spreading in the community. He gave an example, saying that in some Kerala hospitals that are systematic in conducting Covid-19 tests, no positive cases were reported in early March, but by mid-March, it had risen to 10%. However, by April, the figure had risen to 40-42%. Previously, testing was systematic; now, testing is symptom-based. People are not taking Covid-19 tests because they believe it is a waste of time and money, and they prefer to recover at home if they have Covid-19. As a result, the amount of infection in the community is grossly underestimated, Dr Jayadevan told this paper.
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