The Indian Council for Medical Research on Friday revised its testing criteria for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, saying...
The Indian Council for Medical Research on Friday revised its testing criteria for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, saying all hospitalised patients with SARS, shortness of breath, and fever and cough will now be tested. SARS is severe acute respiratory illness.
The number of positive cases in the country rose to 258 on Saturday morning. The previous day, India had registered its largest single-day spike – 63 cases.
The coronavirus testing agency also said that asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case must be tested once between the fifth and the fourteenth day of coming in contact with the patient. The ICMR defined direct and high-risk contact as those living with a COVID-19 patient, and healthcare workers who examine confirmed cases without adequate protection according to World Health Organization guidelines.
The revisions to the advisory on India’s testing strategy have been reviewed by the National Task Force and were made to provide reliable diagnosis to all individuals, the medical body said in a statement. The ICMR has updated and reviewed the testing criteria three times till now, with the last two revisions carried out on March 16 and March 9.
Currently, India has witnessed cases of COVID-19 mostly related to travel and local transmission from international...
