TPR not the only indicator of pandemic control: experts
The Hindu
Current method of calculating the rate is not based on fixed denominator
Test positivity rate (TPR) is a much-talked about term these days, based on which the government is now intensifying or relaxing COVID-19 containment steps. But public health professionals say that TPR need not be the most valid or sensitive indicator of pandemic control. A senior Health Department official said that the current method of calculating the TPR, the percentage of people testing positive for the virus per 100 samples, is not based on a fixed denominator. “If 10 out of 100 people test positive in an area, the TPR is 10%. If 200 are tested and 10 people get infected, it will come down to 5%. If five out of 50 people test positive the next day, even if there is a decline in the number of new patients, the TPR remains 10%,” he said. If the number of infected persons rises to 10, the TPR also goes up to 20% in that place. This means that the TPR is dependent only on the number of people getting tested, and not on the whole population in any area. “If tests are carried out in a nearby area which is more populated, the TPR will be similar. No matter how big the population is, the rate will not change,” he said.More Related News
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