Testing, testing and more testing has become the mantra to fight COVID-19. But till Friday, West Bengal has tested only 2,095 people. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the figure was around 3,000. By all count, it is low, especially for a densely populated state like West Bengal. The government has responded to criticism on low testing with a complaint that there is a shortage of testing kits. Dr Shanta Dutta, the Director of ICMR's nodal body in Kolkata, the National institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases or NICED, however, told NDTV that there is no shortage of testing kits. She said NICED's capacity for COVID-19 tests is not being fully used.
