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ICMR revises coronavirus COVID-19 testing strategy: All you need to know
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revised the coronavirus COVID-19 testing strategy, which included testing of all symptomatic influenza like illness (ILI) among returnees and migrants within 7 days of illness.
New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revised the coronavirus COVID-19 testing strategy, which included testing of all symptomatic influenza like illness (ILI) among returnees and migrants within 7 days of illness.
Also, all symptomatic health care workers, frontline workers working towards mitigating COVID-19 crisis will be tested.
In a press note issued on Monday (May 18,2020), the organisation outlined its new strategy.
1. All symptomatic (ILI symptoms) individuals with history of international travel in the last 14 days.
2. All symptomatic (ILI symptoms) contacts of laboratory confirmed cases.
3. All symptomatic (ILI symptoms) health care workers / frontline workers involved in containment and mitigation of COVID19.
4. All patients of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).
5. Asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case to be tested once between day 5 and day 10 of coming into contact.
6. All symptomatic ILI within hotspots/containment zones.
7. All hospitalised patients who develop ILI symptoms.
8. All symptomatic ILI among returnees and migrants within 7 days of illness.
9. No emergency procedure (including deliveries) should be delayed for lack of test.
An ILI case is defined as one with acute respiratory infection and with fever and cough, while SARI is acute respiratory infection with fever and the patient requiring hospitalisation.
The ICMR said all testing in the categories mentioned in the guideline, is recommended by real-time RT-PCR test only.