The number of Covid-19 cases in India rose above the 20,000-mark on Tuesday, but the rate at which this threshold was crossed – it took more than 8 days for the tally to double – raises hopes that the country may be able to avert the sort of devastation seen in some other parts of the world. But in a move that compromises efforts by many states to test aggressively in so-called containment zones, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) put on hold for two days antibody testing for Covid-19 using rapid testing kits, or RTKs, citing huge variations in the results.
Covid-19 cases in India double to 20,000 in 8 days
The coronavirus outbreak in India began in early March after people who flew in from abroad introduced the infection to others, and has grown largely in small clusters – except for the one linked to the religious group in Delhi that led to thousands of infections – after the government enforced what is the largest global shutdown in population terms.
