Notwithstanding a comparatively higher number of tests, fewer COVID-19 cases have been detected in Telangana since December 1. On Saturday, 57,308 samples were put to test and only 622 were found to be positive for coronavirus while results of 848 people were awaited.
In terms of daily testing from March 2, when the first case emerged in the State, till December 5, the highest number of tests were conducted only for a few weeks spread between August and September, leading to detection of maximum cases.
In July first week, the daily tests conducted were between 4,200 and 6400, and positive cases were around 1,000 to 1,900. The tests gradually increased thereafter. On a few days in the first week of August, when a little over 20,000 people were examined, over 2,000-2,300 coronavirus cases were found. Till that point of the year, people worryingly consumed information related to COVID-19.
August spike
The tests spiked after August third week. From August 25 to September 11, over 59,000 people were examined in a day, leading to detection of 2,500 to 3,000 COVID-positive persons.
It was during this period that the highest cases in a day were recorded in nine months of the pandemic. On August 25, a total of 61,040 samples were tested and 3,018 cases were detected.
Testing and positivity rate started to show a gradual decline from September 12. In October first week, when 49,000 to 55,000 people were examined, 1,850 to 2,200 persons were found to be positive.
By end of the October, the tests further decreased to a maximum of 44,000 a day and 1,400 to 1,550 cases were detected. Major changes were not observed in November.
It was only from November 19 that a gradual drop in daily cases was observed. On November 30, as many as 46,597 samples were put to test and only 502 cases were recorded. For a better understanding of the downward trend, sample this: on November 5, when 46,970 persons were examined (around the same number on November 30), a total of 1,602 positive cases had been recorded.
Though daily tests increased again from December 1, the decline in cases continued. From December 1 to 5, around 51,500 to 60,000 samples have been examined and only 550 to 650 cases have been detected.
