NEW DELHI: Now any individual can be tested for COVID-19 on demand and no emergency procedures (including deliveries) should be delayed due to lack of testing, the Union Health Ministry said in an updated notice on the COVID-19 testing. .
The National Task Force on COVID-19 recommended several amendments to the strategy for COVID-19 testing in India. The experts have simplified the testing procedure and passed “on-demand” testing for the first time.
The notice states: “On-demand tests for all persons wishing to be tested and travel to Indian countries or states that require a negative COVID-19 test at the point of entry. To do this, state governments must decide on simplified modalities.” added. that testing laboratories must guarantee the mechanisms for tracing and tracing contacts by notifying public health authorities.
In hospital settings, no emergency procedures (including deliveries) should be delayed for lack of testing. However, samples can be sent for analysis if a patient is symptomatic or asymptomatic. Pregnant women should not be referred for lack of testing facilities. All arrangements must be made to collect and transfer samples to the testing facility, the new notice stated.
“Mothers who test positive for COVID-19 should be advised to wear a mask and wash their hands frequently while handling their baby for 14 days. They should also be counseled on cleaning their breasts before feeding the newborn These measures are likely to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 to their babies.
Routine surveillance of containment zones and screening at points of entry should be carried out for all symptomatic cases (ILI symptoms), including healthcare workers and frontline workers. “Tests for all direct asymptomatic and high-risk contacts (in the family and the workplace, elderly> = 65 years, immunosuppressed, people with comorbidities, etc.) of a laboratory-confirmed case that will be analyzed once between the day 5 and day 10. All asymptomatic high-risk individuals (elderly> = 65 years, those with comorbidities, etc.) in containment zones should be tested, “he said.
The advisory further stated that routine surveillance should be continued in uncontained areas with testing for all symptomatic individuals (ILI symptoms) with a history of international travel in the past 14 days. “All symptomatic contacts (ILI symptoms) from a laboratory confirmed case, symptomatic healthcare workers / frontline workers involved in containment and mitigation activities, and all cases of symptomatic ILI among returnees and migrants within 7 days of illness must be examined and examined. ”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 4 million rupees and 77 lakhs of testing have been conducted across the country so far. In the past 24 hours, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has conducted at least 10,59,346 tests. There are currently 1,647 operational test labs covering all states / UT. It comprises 833 real-time RT PCR labs, 689 TrueNat-based test labs and 121 are CBNAAT-based test labs.
So far, the country has reported more than 4 million coronavirus cases and 69,561 deaths across the country.
.
