Srinagar: With daily caseload of Covid-19 on wane, the Union Health Ministry has revealed that 18 districts in Jammu and Kashmir have less than 2 percent positivity rate, which according to doctors signifies decline in the infection rate.
According to the Union Health Ministry’s data, 18 districts which include both Srinagar and Jammu have less than 2 percent positivity rate.
Only Reasi has above 5 percent positivity rate in J&K.
The positivity rate is the percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that are actually positive.
The percent positive would be high if the number of positive tests is too high, or if the number of total tests is too low.
A higher percent positive suggests higher transmission and that there are likely more people with coronavirus in the community who have not been tested yet.
The data further reveals that out of 18 districts with less than 2 percent positivity rate, 13 districts have even less than 1 percent positivity rate during the period of August 10 to August 16.
Among the districts having less than 1 percent positivity rate are Bandipora whose positivity rate is 0.93 percent, Srinagar with 0.66 percent, Shopian 0.59 percent, Jammu 0.55 percent, Poonch 0.45 percent, Kathua 0.43 percent, Budgam 0.36 percent, Rajouri 0.35 percent, Anantnag 0.29 percent, Kulgam 0.27 percent, Baramulla 0.20 percent, Pulwama 0.17 percent, and Samba 0.05 percent.
While Doda has a positivity rate of 2.04 percent, Udhampur has 1.5 percent, Ramban 1.24 percent, Kupwara 1.07 percent, Ganderbal 1.01 and Kishtwar both have 1.01 percent.
Only Reasi has a positivity rate of above 6 percent.
No district of J&K has a positivity rate above 10 percent.
The Union Health Ministry has classified districts in three categories – districts having above 10 percent positivity rate, district having above 5 percent and district with less than 5 percent positivity rate.
The country’s Covid-19 positivity rate, which has remained below 3 percent for the last 53 days, was recorded at a low of 1.98 percent after 15,63,985 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.
The World Health Organization (WHO) mandates a positivity rate of 5 percent for an outbreak to be considered under control.
However, the declining tally of daily Covid-19 cases has failed to dull the apprehension of a third wave even as states like Maharashtra have gone forward with relaxations in curbs.