On Monday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that contacts of Covid positive patients do not need to get tested unless identified as high-risk depending on the age or comorbidities. In a new set of guidelines and advisory on Covid testing of samples for Coronavirus, the government body said at-risk contacts of patients would be those above 60 years of age and people who are associated co-morbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic lung or kidney disease, malignancy and obesity. Read the article further to know more about ICMR's announcement.
The ICMR Advisory on Purposive Testing Strategy for Covid-19 said tests should be taken on advice of the treating doctor with some other considerations. Asymptomatic patients going through surgical or non-surgical invasive procedures and pregnant women in/near labour who are hospitalised for delivery should not get tested unless the doctor says so or any Covid-19 symptoms start occuring. It stated that no emergency procedure, including surgeries, should be postponed because of lack of a test. Moreover, patients should not be passed on to other medical facilities for lack of testing.
The ICMR advisory also added that individuals who are taking inter-state domestic travel do not need to get tested. It further said that testing can be taken either through RT-PCR, TrueNat, CBNAAT, CRISPR, RT-LAMP, Rapid Molecular Testing Systems or through Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). A positive point-of-care test (home or self-test/RAT) and molecular test can provide the last confirmation, without any repeat testing, the advisory mentioned. Symptomatic patients, who negative on home/self-test or RAT are advised to take RT-PCR test, it said.
Also read: Home COVID-19 Testing Kits: Know Types, How To Use And Accuracy
Here is the tweet:
Advisory on Purposive Testing Strategy for COVID-19 in India (Version VII, dated 10th January 2022) @MoHFW_INDIA @DeptHealthRes @PIB_India @mygovindia @COVIDNewsByMIB #ICMRFIGHTSCOVID19 #IndiaFightsCOVID19 #CoronaUpdatesInIndia #COVID19 #Unite2FightCorona pic.twitter.com/0bFN4R5gZ4
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India is seeing a massive surge in Covid-19 cases. Many experts have announced that it is time for third wave to hit the country. On Monday, India reported 1,79,723 fresh Covid postive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the daily positivity rate to 13.29 percent, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The number of omicron variant cases reported are 4,033 so far. It has become extremely important to mask up and follow all other Covid appropriate behaviour instructions.