Podcast: Why Bihar Should Increase COVID-19 Testing

In this episode of daily updates on the coronavirus pandemic, a journalist from Bihar, Umesh Kumar Ray, describes the situation in the state. He explains why the government stopped testing migrant labourers entering the state and how the government is planning to hold elections even as cases continue to spike.

Bihar is conducting the lowest number of tests in the country and the positivity rate of the infections is high. The government is conducting 316 tests per one lakh people. As of now, over 26,000 people have contracted the infection in Bihar, 170 people have died and over 16,000 have recovered.

Bihar is also under a strict lockdown till July 31. Ray presents some statistics on the health infrastructure in the state and says that right now, ASHA workers and municipality workers in the state have taken all the responsibility of handling the pandemic on themselves.

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