PANAJI
The daily bulletin of the Health Department on Monday revealed that the state government has effectively reduced the Covid-19 testing in the state by half.
In the last 24 hours, a total 159 of the 742 samples tested were positive for the coronavirus. The positivity rate shot up to 21.42 per cent. Just a day prior to this, the positivity rate stood at 15 per cent as the number of samples tested was 1,246. However, owing to the game of numbers, the recovery rate in the state has finally touched 90.59 per cent with the addition of 519 recoveries.
Drawing a quick comparison between the official statistics published on October 12 and October 19 shows a reduction of almost 50 per cent in the testing capacity of the state even as the health Department is beefing up the public medical infrastructure to combat the rise and severity in cases. On October 12, 1442 samples were tested and the recovery rate stood at 87.13 per cent with the addition of 308 new Covid-19 cases and 495 recoveries. On October 19, the number of samples tested fell to 742 while the recovery rate rose to 90.59 per cent with 159 new cases and 519 recoveries.
On the other hand, the mortality rate continues to remain steady as ever with five deaths being reported in the Health Department’s bulletin on Monday. The death toll of the state has now touched 559.
The deceased persons include a 32 year-old lady from Salvador do Mundo, an 86 year-old man from Dona Paula, a 61 year-old man from Siolim, a 70 year-old man from Sanguem and a 62 year-old man from Curca. Of the five deaths, four were recorded at Goa Medical College in Bambolim while one occurred at ESI Covid Hospital, Margao.
In tandem with this drop in testing and manipulation of the recovery rate, the government has granted permissions for resumption of operations of multiplexes and cinema theatres for upto 50 per cent of their seating capacity, swimming pools for training purposes as well as social, academic, sports, entertainment, cultural, religious and political functions along with other congregations. However, physical classes in schools have yet to resume.
It may be recalled that the Chief Minister came under heavy criticism in the last week following his attempts to paint a rosy picture of the Covid-19 scene in Goa. CM Sawant came under heavy flak for stating that “Goa’s Covid curve has flattened and it is bound to flatten further” adding that the situation will clear out in the next three to four months, even with the World Health Organization admitting that the pandemic could last for two more years. The opposition and several medical practitioners have since pointed out that the curve had indeed flattened albeit on a peak, a reflection of the sorry state of Goa’s Covid policy.
