Despite the alarming rise in Covid-19 cases in Mumbai in the past few days, the real numbers in the city could be much larger. The reason: the number of tests being conducted has hovered around the 47,000-mark, sending the test positivity ratio from 5 per cent to 22 during this period.

TPR was 0.08 per cent on Dec 1

The city’s TPR stood at 0.08 per cent on December 1. As cases began surging from December 20, the TPR rose sharply. As per the World Health Organisation, if an area sees a TPR of more than 5 per cent, it is an indication that the virus is spreading faster than the growth seen in confirmed cases. Mumbai’s TPR has already crossed the 10 per cent yardstick set by the Indian Council of Medical Research for the same conclusion.