PremiumAmid continuous surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the past one week, the Delhi government revised its testing strategy for coronavirus patients. In an order dated June 2, the state government announced the new guidelines.
The Delhi government earlier issued a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for handling the bodies of COVID-19 patients. It stated that no coronavirus test will be conducted after death. “No sample for COVID-19 test will be taken of dead body," the state said.
Here are the new testing rules:
1) All individuals with a history of international travel in last 14 days will be tested.
2) All symptomatic contacts of the coronavirus patients will go through a test.
3) All the front-line workers and healthcare workers involved in mitigation of coronavirus patients.
4) All patients of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).
5) Those who are direct contacts of coronavirus patients and have co-morbidities will be tested one between day 5 and day 10 of coming into contact. The co-morbidities listed in the order are diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. The list also includes senior citizens or those who are over the age of 60 years.
6) All symptomatic patients within hotspots and containment zones.
7) All hospitalised patients who develop fever and cough with acute respiratory infection.
9) The migrants or returnees from other places will only be tested if they are symptomatic, within 7 days of illness.
The new guidelines make the testing criteria in Delhi tighter than those issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research on May 18.
Delhi conducts the most tests in the country — 11,285 per million of population based on data till Tuesday while the national average is 3,078.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital crossed 25,000-mark today. The death toll increased to 650. The state has the maximum number of coronavirus patients after Maharashtra. There are 14,456 active cases in the state.
