Coronavirus | Testing and the importance of low positivity rate Updated: Updated: May 15, 2021 20:41 IST Although the second wave came more than a year after the first, India’s testing infrastructure remained insufficient and underprepared Share Article Data source: India COVID-19 Tracker | Photo Credit: Rijo M. John Although the second wave came more than a year after the first, India’s testing infrastructure remained insufficient and underprepared Early detection and isolation of potentially infectious individuals are the keys to successfully fighting a viral pandemic. The importance of diagnostic testing to facilitate this cannot be overemphasised. A widely deployed and efficient testing strategy can go a long way in limiting the spread of new cases as it significantly reduces the chance of individuals with undetected virus exposure from roaming freely among unexposed individuals.