Telangana Health department staff would resume conducting around one lakh COVID tests a day. The last time over a lakh samples were examined in a day, was during the second wave of COVID.

Currently, around 35,000 to 40,000 samples are being examined. From the past one week, the daily case load is around 180 to 200 cases. The State Health Minister T Harish Rao said on Tuesday that the daily tests would be increased to one lakh.

Since the Health officials and experts have been saying that detecting Omicron variant in the State is a matter of time, more number of tests are needed to know if the cases are on surge.

A professor at School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad, B.R. Shamanna said that the tests have to be conducted strategically: among people who are not vaccinated, especially 12 to 18 years age group, in localities or places where cluster of infections are detected, among people with symptoms. The 12 to 18 years population was cited since they are attending physical classes at educational institutes.

Besides this, he said that genomic surveillance has to be increased, which helps to detect not only Omicron, but also other variants if any.

Other indicators used by the State Health department to know if cases are increasing is keeping a tab on ICU beds occupancy, oxygen consumption at government and private hospitals, spike in flu or respiratory distress cases in a locality. The health authorities gather the data from private and government hospitals.

Apart from increasing the tests, Mr Harish Rao urged people to wear masks. Teams from Municipality departments, Panchayat Raj, and police might be included to ensure that people wear masks. Vaccination too is pitched as another tool to battle the virus.

Out of the 2,77 crore people in the State who are above 18 years of age, 2.58 crore took the first dose and 1.37 took the second dose.