New Delhi: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended that the contacts of COVID-19 patients, unless identified as high-risk, don’t need to be tested.
“Asymptomatic individuals in community settings, patients who stand discharged as per home isolation guidelines, also patients discharged from a COVID-19 facility and individuals undertaking inter-state domestic travel need not be tested,” ICMR said.
Those with cough, fever, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, breathlessness, and other respiratory symptoms) individuals should be tested, said the body.
ICMR said no emergency procedure – like surgeries and deliveries should be delayed for lack of a test.
Patients should not be referred to other facilities for lack of a testing facility, it said.
“Genome Sequencing is done for surveillance purposes and is not required to be undertaken for treatment purposes. The genome sequencing is to be performed only in a subset of positive samples as per recommendations of INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Surveillance Consortium),” it said.
The new guidelines have been issued at a time when India is witnessing a third wave. India saw a single-day rise of 1,79,723 coronavirus infections taking the total tally to 3,57,07,727, including 4,033 cases of the Omicron variant reported across 27 states and union territories so far, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Monday.
The number of active cases has increased to 7,23,619, the highest in around 204 days, while the death count has climbed to 4,83,936 with 146 fatalities.
Of the total 4,033 cases of Omicron variant, 1,552 have recovered or migrated.
The rise of 1,79,723 cases was the highest in around 227 days.
A total of 1,86,364 new infections were reported on May 27 last year. The active cases have increased to 7,23,619, accounting for 2.03 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 96.62 percent, the health ministry said.
