12.59 per cent of India's COVID-19 tests done in Mumbai: BMC
In a press release, the civic body also claimed thatthere has been no community transmission of the infection inMumbai, which has reported over 2,000 coronavirus cases sofar.
It had conducted 27,397 COVID-19 tests till April 13,against 2,17,554 tests carried out across the country, the BMCsaid.
This shows that 12.59 per cent of the total number oftests conducted across the country were carried out in Mumbaialone, it said.
The civic body further informed that it had decided toconduct tests for asymptomatic patients only after seven daysof quarantine to avoid the possibility of "false negatives".
"It is observed that test results of asymptomaticpatients often came out negative if they were conducted withinseven days of quarantine. In medical terms such tests arecalled false negative," the release stated.
Until now, the BMC was conducting swab tests of high-risk contacts of positive patients as soon as they werequarantined.
According to the release, the civic body has set up 97fever clinics across the city and 3,585 persons were screenedat these facilities, which are located near containment zoneswhere one or more COVID-19 cases were reported.
Of the 912 persons tested at these clinics, only fivewere found to be positive, thus ruling out the possibility ofcommunity transmission, the civic body claimed.
"Since the fever clinics are located in congestedareas and slum pockets in the city, where only five out of 912persons tested positive for COVID-19, it shows that only 0.54per cent people were infected. This shows that there isno community transmission in Mumbai municipal limits," itsaid.
The release also stated that over 6,000 people hadused the civic body's helpline for medical advice aboutcoronavirus. KK ARUKRK KRK