Bengaluru's blanket antigen testing to intensify from tomorrow

A worker takes a swab sample at Gavipuram Guttahalli on Wednesday. DH PHOTO/S K DINESH

During phase 2 of the programme, 2,900 antigen tests will be conducted per day across all city wards. DH file photo/Pushkar V

The first phase of a street-by-street testing programme using the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits to determine community spread in the city is due to be scaled up from Friday onwards.

The Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar, who is in charge of the Bommanahalli zone, said Phase 2 of the blanket testing programme would see 2,900 antigen tests conducted per day across all city wards. This figure does not include testing being done by BBMP fever clinics.

“With scaled-up testing, we hope to catch more cases and prevent more deaths,” Kumar said.

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Phase 2 comes as no clear picture had yet resulted during Phase 1 about the scale of community transmission in the city.

In the Bommanahalli zone, where the blanket testing was the most systematic across 16 wards, government data shows that a total of 6,234 rapid antigen tests were carried out on primary contacts and people with symptoms, till August 5. This yielded 566 positive cases, which represents an overall positivity rate of 9%.

Epidemiologists have said low positivity rates mean that the epidemic is becoming manageable.

“A positivity rate of under 5% means that the situation is under control,” explained D Randeep, Special Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

However, the reasonably low positivity rate established in Bommanahalli did not necessarily mean the epidemic there was becoming manageable, officials said. For example, the test had shown that four zonal wards, including Begur, Singasandra, Bommanahalli and Arakere have a positivity rate of over 24%. Begur’s positivity rate was as high as 32% as of Wednesday.

“The city’s overall positivity rate is high,” Randeep added, suggesting the fight against Covid-19 was still far from won.

The latest BBMP war room data says the city’s positivity rate is 17.81% — a far cry from the required 5%.

However, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said he believed that this high positivity rate was likely because the testing was “reactionary” in nature, in the sense that the Palike was testing people only after they developed symptoms.

“What is required is more concerted testing of people who have not yet developed symptoms, such as market vendors to determine the true spread,” Randeep clarified.