India’s diagnostic clinics registering a significant increase in covid-19 testing

Some states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka, which have stepped up testing are reporting more cases.

Four deaths have been reported in Maharashtra and with one single death in Karnataka due to covid-19. However, all the deaths were linked to underlying morbidities. 

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Sudden Spurt

This increased testing follows a sudden spurt of cases in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and other Asian countries, due to two new variants of coronavirus—NB.1.8.1 and LF.7—arising from the JN.1 variant prevalent since 2023. 

Dr Anand K, MD & CEO, Agilus Diagnostics said that there has been a noticeable uptick in covid testing demand since mid-May 2025.

“Covid-19 testing numbers have seen a significant increase of approximately 95% compared to the January–April 2025 period. This rise has been primarily observed following reports of a regional surge in South Asia. We have tested 300+ patients for in May 2025 so far. The majority of the cases are being referred by doctors and hospitals, indicating clinical suspicion or protocol-driven testing," said Anand.

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On Saturday, the Union health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava reviewed the matter regarding covid-19 cases with senior government officials and health agencies such as the Indian Council of Medical Research, Director General of Health Services and National Centre for Disease Control. The meeting was told that most of these cases are mild and under home care.

Dr Arjun Dang, chief executive officer and Partner, Dr Dangs Lab, said that until last week, daily covid-19 testing numbers remained consistently low. “However, we have recently observed a noticeable spike in test requests. This uptick appears to be driven by growing public awareness of the resurgence of covid-19 cases in Southeast Asian countries, coupled with a shift in mindset—people are now more willing to get tested when experiencing flu-like symptoms, in an effort to responsibly rule out covid-19." 

Test, track and treat

The strategy of test, track and treat has been adopted by states and union territories early detection and isolation of covid-19  cases.

“There is no indication that the circulating variants are more transmissible or cause more severe disease compared to the previously circulating variants. The Union health ministry remains vigilant and through its multiple agencies, is proactively monitoring the situation closely," official sources said. 

Dr Arvind Lal, Managing Director at the Lal Path Laboratory said that right now, covid-19 testing positivity rate is 40%. “However, this positivity rate is not so concerning if we compare our testing results in the past few years." 

The health ministry had recorded 257 active covid cases as of 19 May on its covid-19 dashboard. 

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Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, former head of Head Scientist of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research said that covid-19 is now endemic in India. “The variant is showing increased transmission rate but severity and hospitalization is not increasing. We need to monitor whether hospitalization and death are happening due to covid-19. Ff it is happening due to covid, then surveillance needs to be strengthened." 

Dr Niranjan Patil, associate vice president, Scientific Business head- Infectious diseases, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd, Mumbai, said that most recent cases have presented with mild symptoms and have remained low in number, though a noticeable increase has been observed since the beginning of May.