Exemplary UAE

The only way to control COVID-19 before the vaccine is discovered is to undertake 100 per cent testing of the citizens. UAE is on the verge of returning to normalcy, for it is conducting the highest number of tests per million of population, compared to the rest of the world (UAE announces 388 new coronavirus cases and 758 recoveries, June 21, Gulf Today)

Coronavirus started appearing in South Korea, Italy, UK and the US around January 2020. South Korea tested very early and widely and was able to bring the disease under control.

The level of testing in India needs to be ramped up urgently. As on June 19, India were testing 4,659 people per million. Countries like the UK, Spain, Russia, Portugal are testing over 100,000 people per million. All the Latino countries like Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador are testing around 10,000 people per million.

The US has conducted over 25 million tests. Now, President Trump has urged his health officials to slow-down the testing, on the grounds that the more you test, the more cases emerge. However, that is the precise purpose of the testing; find the COVID-19 cases and treat them expeditiously, so that the patient does not infect others around him. We cannot solve a problem by ignoring it or pretending that it does not exist.

There are variations in the testing-levels within India. The southern state of Tamil Nadu is testing more than 18,000 people per million, while the worst impacted state, Maharashtra, is testing only 4,688 per million. India should focus its tests in the slum and congested localities which have common toilets.  The governments of all countries should make testing for COVID-19 free. No citizen should try to avoid the test, because he has no money in his pocket. The faster COVID-19 is brought under control, the earlier countries can open their economies and start generating wealth. So, paying for all COVID-19 tests, is actually an investment and very pragmatic for all countries.

Rajendra Aneja — Mumbai, India