Who needs to get tested for coronavirus or Covid 19? Read ICMR new guidelines
New Delhi : People have been stressing over small sneezes or fever which could be due to change in weather India is experiencing and not because of the spreading coronavirus. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued guidelines for a new testing strategy for effective tracking of Covid-19 cases.
The policy was released on Friday night after India registered sudden spike in the number of positive cases, highest on a single day.
According to the new rules, asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of an infected person should be tested between the fifth day and 14th day of coming into contact with the patient.
It also says all patients hospitalised with severe acute respiratory illness (with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath), all symptomatic health care workers, all symptomatic contacts of those whose laboratory tests — even the preliminary ones at the state-level— have been positive for the Sars-Cov-2 (the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease) have to get tested.
It also mentions that those who have travelled abroad and are not showing any symptom of the disease must also remain in home quarantine for atleast two weeks and should be tested when they are symptomatic (when they show symptoms), the new policy says. All family members living with an infected person should be home quarantined, it adds.
People who must be tested under India’s latest guidelines include:
1. Anyone who has travelled abroad in the past 14 days and has symptoms like fever, cough, or difficulty in breathing
2. Asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of an infected person should be tested between day 5 and day 14 of coming into contact with the infected person
3. Any health care worker looking after Covid-19 patients who develops symptoms or those who are exposed to a confirmed case
4. Any direct or high-risk contacts — those living in the same house and health care workers who come in contact without proper personal protective equipment – even if they do not have symptoms
5. All patients hospitalised with Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI), which involves the history of a fever higher than 38 C° and cough for over 10 days