Health Ministry revises strategy for testing coronavirus

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Saturday, issued a revised strategy of testing for COVID-19 infection.

According to the revised advisory, all asymptomatic individuals who have undertaken international travel in the last 14 days, should stay in home quarantine for at least 14 days. They should be tested only if they become symptomatic (fever, cough, difficulty in breathing). Besides, all family members living with a confirmed case should be home quarantined.

The revised strategy further stated that all symptomatic contacts of laboratory confirmed cases will be tested, all symptomatic health care workers will also be tested. All hospitalised patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (fever and cough and/or shortness of breath) will also be tested for novel coronavirus.

"Asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between day 5 and day 14 of coming in his or her contact," said the Ministry.

Direct and high-risk contact include those who live in the same household with a confirmed case and healthcare workers who examined a confirmed case without adequate protection as per WHO recommendations.

According to the Health Ministry there are at list 231 active coronavirus cases in India.

Currently, India has witnessed cases of COVID-19 mostly related to travel and local transmission from imported cases to their immediate contacts. Community transmission of the disease has not been documented till now. Once community transmission is documented, the above testing strategy will undergo changes to evolve into stage appropriate testing strategy.