COVID-19: Maha minister Tope pushes for aggressive testing

Mumbai, Apr 24 () The Maharashtra government willpush for aggressive testing to detect coronavirus and alsoincrease facilities for institutional quarantine as homeisolation was not working, state Health Minister Rajesh Topesaid on Friday.

Speaking to , Tope said the spread of the virus indense slum pockets was a challenge.

"The home quarantine facility was not working. So wehave to expand institutional quarantine facilities outsidecontainment zones," he said.

Tope said portable pulse oximeter (which monitorsamount of oxygen in body) and chest X-rays will be used forearly detection.

"Early detection as well as putting people withcomorbidities and senior citizens in containment zones intoquarantine is important. Pool testing will also help," hesaid, adding that aggressive tracing and testing of patientsin slum pockets is being taken up.

Speaking on the mortality rate (deaths per 100 cases)from the virus, which had now come down to 4.40 per cent, Topesaid. "The number of cases is more because of early detection.We also want to increase the span in which cases double," hesaid.

"At the moment, it is 7 days here while the nationaldoubling rate is 9 days. We have to increase the number ofdays in which cases double," he said.

Maharashtra has the highest number of COVID-19 casesin the country. MRBNM BNM