India significantly ramped up its diagnostic lab network: Health Ministry

The Health Ministry has said that India has significantly ramped up its diagnostic lab network. It said, higher number of tests will push the positivity rate initially, but as the Delhi experience has amply shown, will eventually lower when combined with other measures.

The Ministry said, it is to the credit of the graded and collaborative efforts of the Centre and States and Union Territories that widespread testing has enabled more



than 6 lakh tests daily for 3 days in a row. It said, from one lab in January 2020, India now has 1370 labs.

The Health Ministry said, focused and coordinated  containment, widespread testing combined with supervised isolation and effective treatment have resulted in increasing recovery rates and steadily falling case mortality. These have ensured declining percentage active cases.