Expansion of Covid-19 testing further complements exemplary reaction by India, says GlobalData  India’s agility so far in handling the coronavirus (Covid-19) situation is an exemplar, given its large population and the public healthcare challenges. As the country gears up to involve private partners for both testing and treatment of Covid-19, it is likely to aid further in containing the epidemic in the country, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. India imposed a lockdown of 21 days while the Covid-19 infection was still at local transmission stage to avoid reaching the community transmission stage. According to GlobalData Covid-19 dashboard, as of 02 April 2020, although India has 2,032 confirmed Covid-19 cases, incidence rate in India was 1.50 versus 120.4 worldwide and 59.16 in China.  As of 02 April 2020, GlobalData forecasts 407,825 confirmed Covid-19 cases in India in a high transmission risk scenario versus 5,305 in a low transmission risk scenario by the end of lockdown on 14 April 2020. As part of the Fast Track Covid-19 Response Program, India has proposed Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project to respond to and mitigate the Covid-19 threat and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness in India and initiated sentinel surveillance to detect community transmission of Covid-19. Sasmitha Sahu, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “While the lockdown cannot eliminate the threat itself, it will be helpful in ‘breaking the chain of infection’ and containing further rampant spread of the virus. Although the new case count has been increasing, there has been certainly a delay in the onset of community transmission.” Recently, the government announced the expansion of testing facilities to private diagnostic laboratories as well as directed private healthcare facilities to initiate treatment of Covid-19 cases. Moreover, India has approved three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based kits and one antibody detection kit while also allowing any FDA approved diagnostic kit to be used by private testing labs.  Ms. Sahu adds: “India isolated the virus within a few weeks of its first Covid-19 case, which is pivotal to initiate research on diagnostic kits, vaccines and drugs. The expansion of testing will lead to quicker identification, enhanced surveillance and disease management which are further likely to prevent community transmission.” Furthermore, the government is extending support to expedite the production of low-cost diagnostic kits and ventilators as well as established Covid-19 Research Consortium to facilitate the development of vaccines and therapies. It has notified a Rapid Response Regulatory Framework to provide expedited regulatory approvals. The government has decided to cover Covid-19 related expenses under the national health insurance scheme for the deprived and also launched an insurance scheme for health workers fighting Covid-19 frontline. India is likely to participate in WHO’s multi-national SOLIDARITY trial to evaluate treatments for Covid-19. Ms. Sahu concludes: “These supportive measures by the government will likely ensure the accessibility of testing to the larger masses and prove crucial in combating the epidemic as well as facilitating the development of novel therapies and vaccines.” ENDSFor more informationTo gain access to our latest press releases: GlobalData Media CentreAnalysts available for comment. Please contact the GlobalData Press Office:EMEA & Americas: +44 (0)207 832 4399 Asia-Pacific: +91 40 6616 6809Email: pr@globaldata.comTo gain access to our latest press releases and expert analysis on developments in your industry, please connect with us on:GlobalData | LinkedIn | TwitterNotes to EditorsComments provided by Sasmitha Sahu, Pharma Analyst at GlobalDataThis press release is written using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis conducted by GlobalData’s team of industry expertsAbout GlobalData4,000 of the world’s largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData’s unique data, expert analysis and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData’s mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology and professional services sectors.